Endless (2010)
by Tucker Carroll
Summary: An unfinished original writing by the late TVD fanfic author, 'Tucker Carroll'.


42 Page

Endless

Amanda Carroll

[Friday, October 14, 2011]

The autumn of 1698  
"Liam," Gianna smiled, the happiness she felt was audible in her voice. "It's beautiful, but you shouldn't have left the village." Her smile faded and she looked at Liam with a now somber expression.

"My love," Liam gently took her hand in his, stepping closer to her. "I was careful, I promise" The wind was beginning to pick up, pushing and pulling at the fabric walls. "I could not allow such a momentous occasion to pass without any sort of a gift."

Her lips curved into a small shy smile, looking down at the necklace Liam had given her. "But Liam, it is far too dangerous to do such things." Liam knew she was replaying the past few seasons in her mind – the pain evident on her face – so much violence, so many friends lost.

"Gianna, this measley stone was supposed to cheer you up, not make you even more sad. It's your birthday, please," Liam placed his finger tips under her chin, lifting her eyes to meet his, "try not to be so down, even if just for the day." Her dark brown eyes were sparkling with tears.

She gently ran her thumbs across the polished stone in her hand, noting the beautiful knots that held the sky blue stone – the leather cord was not the gold that she was accustomed to, but she'd never loved a necklace more. "I am sorry, darling," Gianna quickly wiped her fingers below her eye lids, sweeping in an upward motion as if not to smear her make up – a move of habit, as she had not worn make up in nearly a year. "I am so very happy for my gift, but I am aware of the danger you put yourself in by going to the river banks for it." Gianna stepped into his waiting embrace, hugging him tightly. "I'd not be able to live if something were to happen to you, Liam."

Liam returned the affection, relishing in the intimacy of the moment, something they were unable to experience very often. He didn't dare tell her of the close call he'd had on his way back to their make-shift village set up a few miles North of Avignon. He'd nearly interrupted a card game between a group of the King's soldiers – had one particularly intoxicated gentleman not accused one of his fellow soldiers of cheating, nearly screaming the accusation, Liam would have walked right into the clearing in which they had set up camp. Luckily, Liam was able to skirt around the prairie-like edges and make it back unnoticed.  
Once tough as nails, his fiancé of nearly two years, had become one to be easily upset. The past months had been very hard on his love. After being forced from their hometown of Turin and having no other choice but to live like gypsies in traveling clans – sleeping in tents and washing their clothes & bodies in the filthy rivers, his lovely Gianna was growing tired & thin skinned – the strain of their new life was wearing her down.

_It must be nearly October_, he thought, still holding Gianna, remembering what her dress looked like before it's canary yellow fabric had become stained a dingy brown. He shuddered a bit as her warm tears collected on his shoulder. _Nearly a year like this and the situation has only grown worse. _

"We can go back." Liam had not finished his sentence & could already feel the muscles in her body tense. "I mean, not back to Turin of course, but to another town."

Gianna pulled away, looking at Liam as if he'd insulted her, or like she did not recognize him as the man she was betrothed to. "What?"

Liam swallowed, "I know this is hard for you, for us. But love, we are not... they, we are not -"

"We aren't what?" Gianna's deep brown eyes were sharp, as if they could cut into him at any minute.

"Gianna," He sighed her name, then lowered his voice, quickly searching the small gap at the bottom of the tent for the feet of an eavsdropper, "We are not gifted, we're not like these people."

Gianna did not seem to share the same fear, as her voice got louder. "And what part does that play in our decision to stand up for what is happening to our friends? We've lived with these people for nearly 3 seasons, Liam! You cannot be suggesting that we simply turn our eyes from the indecencies that people like us are committing against them?"

"No, no, of course not" Liam reached out for her, but Gianna turned on her heel, moving to the rickety wooden table and resting her weight on locked elbows.

"You are right... we are not gifted, or magical." Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly and controlled, Gianna stood tall, straightening her dress with her hands, "but we are good people, and good people stand for what is right. So help me God, we are not like the rest of this land of murderers and vagrant fools. I will not stand by while these people, good people, are hunted to their deaths for no other reason than being a bit different."

Liam was sorry he had even mentioned going back. Besides, he and Gianna, and the few others in the camp who were also ungifted were in as much danger, if not more, than the magical ones. He hurt so deeply for Gianna. He had wanted to be able to provide for her and give her the world, but even giving her a polished stone tied to a leather strap was an enormous risk. He yearned to be able to provide her what she deserved. The days of stealing a kiss while visiting Gianna at her parents home or holding hands during an afternoon walk through town... those days were gone, maybe forever.

When the lynch men came for Gianna's family servant, Tomas, her father would not allow it. Tomas was a Spanish born man with a talent in the kitchen and had been accused of witchery. The whole town had heard of the magic-hunting in the other parts of their country, but Tomas was the first to be hunted from Turin. The lynch men returned to the Martelli' house early the next morning with the power of the King's warrant, and Tomas was never to be heard from again. Weeks later, his wife & 2 daughters were slaughtered in the town square, along with many others accused of magic. Liam's mother, father and brothers begged him to leave Gianna alone, to find another of the many marriage aged young women. Coming from a well-respected family, educated and with a handsome amount of riches waiting to be his, to the town of Turin Liam was a catch. A very good looking young man -only a year from finishing his theology studies and beginning his life as a Chaplin – finding another would have been simple. But Liam refused, he knew there was no one else for him, Gianna was it.

Their wedding was set in the early fall, but just a few months before they were to be wed, the Martelli men – her father, brother, and brother-in-law – were murdered in the streets of Venice after standing with some of the magical people who were rebelling against the King's orders of genocide.  
When word made it to Turin, Mrs. Martelli tried to flee town with her two daughters. Liam packed their carriage for them and saw them off – promising to follow behind in them in just a few hours as he had to sew up some business with his schoolwork.

Just a few miles outside of town, Liam came upon the bloodied bodies of Mrs. Martelli and Annette, Gianna's older sister. Their carriage was in pieces, the two servant girls were beheaded, but Gianna was nowhere to be found. Liam screamed out her name, over and over, but he knew that she had been taken by one of the bastards that killed her family. His mind was filled with terrible thoughts of what she must have been going through.

With his soul twisting in pain, Liam spend hours cleaning and prepping the women for a proper burial. He dug each of them graves, gently laying them in position, then covering them with dirt. He marked their graves with crosses he engineered from the remains of the Martelli carriage. By the time he had finished packing the last of the soil, Liam was exhausted. He knelt, speaking a final prayer aloud, his wool clothing was twice it's normal weight because of the sweat. His skin was chilled in the night wind, but internally he was on fire. Considering laying down for a spell, as he felt a bit faint, he searched the trees lining the dirt road, but the dark night and density of the surrounding forest made it difficult. A bird's tweet broke his concentration – _A bird in the dark of night?_

It happened again, but this time the birds song was a bit different, obviously an impersonation. Liam was fearful that he may have been surrounded, and these tweets were a form of communication. Jumping to his feet, fear soaring through his muscles providing a new wave of energy.

"Who's there!?" He called into the darkness

Another whistle, this one from a different location.

Liam's eyes scanned the forest line, squinting in an effort to make sense of the jumble of shapes.

"Are you Liam?" A young voice came from behind him. Liam spun around to face it, but no one was there. "Liam Apicella, of Turin?" Now the voice was to list left, or maybe behind him, he could not tell.

"Who is inquiring?" Liam countered, turning in his place, hoping to catch the owner of the voice.

With a laugh, the stranger said in a deep, booming voice "It is I, Christ our Lord", then laughed again.

The voice was taunting him, teasing him, but not threatening. It seemed as though it were a child, probably a young boy. "If you were God, you would not speak in third person..." Liam snorted, "Our Lord" he spat out the words.

"Yes that is true," The stranger said through a giggle, now the voice began to surround him, coming from all directions. "Introduce yourself and I shall do the same."

Liam continued to search the tree line, but there was no one in sight. "No matter my name," He placed his hand on the knife holstered at his hip. "I am growing tired of this game, little girl"

"Little girl?" The voice stopped, sounding normal for the first time. "I am not a girl, I am a man!"

"OH, no, surely not" Liam said, now taunting in return.

"Yes, I am eleven!"

"Well, then if you are a man, you have the responsibility to produce yourself at once." Liam demanded

"Fine" the boy sighed, movement directly behind Liam startled him and he nearly tumbled over his own boots in the loose soil.

It was indeed a young boy with messy, sandy colored hair, tattered clothing and, Liam noted, he had no shoes.

"My name is Lionis, I am a warlock." The boy smiled as he closed the distance between them. "You are Liam Apicella, are you not?" The boy smelled of the earth, but had a light hearted smile about him that made Liam feel at ease.

"I am, and my I ask why you are looking for me?"

"My father sent me out for you." Lionis scratched at his dirty scalp, "You're wife, or maybe your sister... she is waiting for you at our camp."

It had been so very long since that night that he'd believed Gianna had been taken from him forever, and if she wanted to stay here in support of the magical family that had saved her from a gang of lynch men, Liam would stay as well.

"Gianna! Gianna!" Celia, the young daughter of one of the witch women called for Gianna as she trotted towards the ladies tent. Even in a campsite, the men and women kept a certain level of decency & manors. On any given day one would hear just as many "Please", "Thank you's" and other niceties as if you were traipsing through the kings garden. Unmarried, Liam and Gianna could not share a tent. Therefore Liam slept with the single and widowed men, while Gianna did the same with the women. "Gianna!" Celia smiled & waved as Gianna stooped out of the tent door.

"Celia, good morning!" She ran into Gianna's waiting hug.

"Come and play with us!" Celia pleaded, "Come on, we are going to play hide and seek on the other side of the hill, then Remero is going to climb up the birch tree to check on the baby birds!"

Releasing her & kneeling to look into her eyes, Gianna kissed the girls forehead. "Oh sweet Celia, I cannot. I have to help pack."

"Oh no, we're are moving again?" Celia's voice was filled with disappointment.

"Yes, but we moving further south, close to the bay, where we can swim and play on the beach!" Gianna spoke in a light tone, using her hands to smooth Celia's wild curls bouncing in the wind. Her words seem to lighten to girls mood, but Gianna soon realized it was not the thought of the ocean and the beach that produced Celia's smile.

"Good morrow, my ladies" Liam bowed, laying on the proper charm for Celia's sake. Gianna was not the only girl to have a fondness for Liam's wavy, brown hair, eyes the color of a summer storm, and an ever present 5 o'clock shadow across his high cheek bones and square jaw.

"Hello Sir Liam!" Celia responded with a curtsey. She loved to pretend she were a princess and Liam her knight.

Quickly Liam lifted Gianna's hand and placed a kiss on her inner wrist, keeping his eyes locked with Gianna's lips. He longed for the day he could kiss her without reservation.

"Liam, we are to move again, have you heard?" Celia asked as she hugged his waist and he patted her back.

"Yes I have," Liam's face suddenly seemed more serious. "You should go to your mother and help her pack up your things."

"Yes, sir." Celia agreed. "But will you play knights and dragons with us later?"

"Oh yes, count on it!" Satisfied, Celia ran off to her own tent.

Spring could not come soon enough for Gianna. Married at eighteen was to wait a very long time. She and Liam had been betrothed to one another for nearly two years.

With a playful smile, Liam asked "when do we get to play knights and dragons?"

Gianna laughed

Merrisa smiled, so trusting, unaware of his true intentions.

"Sure, but" Liam slipped an arm lightly around her waist, "you should be careful, they're sharp!"

He was always good at playing a part, in any situation. Whatever was expected of him, he could put on a play in nearly any circle. These girls wanted a playful and flirty vampire, that's what they got, no matter how out of character the attributes may have been. This talent helped Liam through many tough situations and was probably one of the most useful skills he had. It was not one that came with being a vampire, but it was sure helpful when worming his way into someone's trust.

The group of girls squealed at Liam's forwardness. Finding a donor would be no problem; these girls were quickly becoming putty in his hands. Liam looked to the auburn-haired girl, oddly aware of her disinterest in him. She was smiling, as if on only to blend in with the other girls who were laughing and being playful. She kept her attention on her cell phone – held in both hands resting in her lap.

"You are just the hottest guy!" Merissa leaned into his embrace, placing her arms around his neck, their faces only inches apart. Liam could smell her blood from this distance and he was ready to feed. Pulling her closer to him he whispered something in her ear and with a smile she simply shook her head in agreeance. "Girls, we're going to step outside a bit" Merissa stretched out the word outside as if to enunciate it. 

"Merissa!" The auburn-haired girl called for her, obviously unhappy with her friends' decision to leave the club with a stranger pretending to be a vampire, but Liam, holding Merissa's hand, was pulling her through the crowd, down the same path he'd taken with Nicole. Merissa squeezed his hand as they went down the stairs. Liam could feel her begin to second-guess her decision as they came to the bottom of the steps that opened into the bar. He turned to look at her and moved closer, a friendly smile on his face.

Liam placed his left hand gently against her cheek, sliding it into her dark brown hair and softly cupping her head, she leaned into his touch and bit her lip. He wasn't much taller than Merissa, but they were so close that he was looking down into her chocolate brown eyes. "You are so beautiful" Liam spoke quietly, then grazed his lips against hers, feeling the sticky glaze of her rose petal pink lip gloss. With a sigh, Merissa relaxed again. Pulling away and performing the same steps as he had with the bouncer, Liam said "Come out to my car, don't be scared of me. I won't hurt you."

It had been atleast 5 songs since Merissa left with that guy, and Emily was beginning to get worried. Nicole & Whitney didn't seem to notice that their girlfriend had been MIA for close to half an hour already. But they were different, raised in small, rich suburbs of New Haven, with no concerns of being mugged, or raped, or kidnapped. Emily was a Seattle girl and though she was raised in a nice neighborhood, real life was all around, unlike the high-gated communities that her Yale sorority sisters were accustomed to.

"Nicole," Emily tugged at her friends belt loop, interrupting her flirting with a guy who was much too tall for her. "We need to go look for Merissa"

"What, why? She's fine" Nicole barely even turned to look at Emily, annoyed with the disruption.

"Seriously, it's been thirty minutes! What can they be doing outside a club in 40 degree weather?"

"As hot as he is, I'm sure she's staying warm!" Whitney teased, Nicole reached over the table and high-fived her.

Emily rolled her eyes, then put her cell phone in the pocket of her blue leather jacket, pulled it on and went out to look for Merissa on her own.

Liam sat back in the driver's seat of his Mustang, full as a tick, enjoying the pleasant feeling of new blood pumping through his body – it warmed him from the inside out. The two small marks on the girls neck, _Merissa_, he remembered, had nearly disappeared already. She was resting her head against the fogged window, a smile upon her face. There was a reason why the romance of a vampire had carried through the years, generation after generation – they could fulfill any fantasy imaginable.  
In the short amount of time Merissa spent with Liam, he'd made her feel as if she were the most beautiful woman on earth, and his desire for her charged her self-confidence. The time that passed with Liam pulling her life from her throat, she experienced an immense amount of pleasure, both real and imagined. He could access her deepest fantasies, creating a dream-like state that was so real, so lifelike to the donor, and make her feel as if she'd experienced each second of them. Vampires were the single best lovers of any man on Earth, without ever truly touching a woman in such a manor. Their lust was not for the sexual interaction, but for the woman's aromatic and savory blood.

Liam pushed a strand of her dark hair from her face, in a daze of satisfaction, watching the woman who had made him feel so good breathing in and out, slowly and rhythmically, lost in a daze of her own. The ringing of her phone startled him, but did not seem to affect Merissa in slightest. The light of the face of the phone shone through top of her dress; she'd stashed her cell phone in the strap of her bra.

There was no need to try to wake her just yet, her body was recovering from the loss of blood, resembling a very intoxicated young lady.

The phone began to ring again – Liam considered retrieving the phone from her bra, but he felt as if he'd be crossing a line. Even if she did believe that they'd spent a very intimate time together, he knew better and was not comfortable placing his hands in such locations. It stopped ringing for a moment, and Liam felt a bit of relief, but it started again!

Liam stared at the glow through the stretched fabric, trying to muster up the courage to recover the phone, then a loud, quick knock broke through the interior of his car.

"Merissa!" A voice called.

Quickly Liam turned the ignition on, without starting the car, and rolled down the window – the auburn-haired girl was hunched over, looking as if she were about to scream

"Oh my God! Merissa!" Auburn-hair cried, trying to open the door. Merissa barely acknowledged. "Merissa! Wake up!"

"She's ok," Liam tried to calm her, "She's just drank a bit too much"

"What!?" Liam unlocked the door and auburn-hair pulled it open, "She is not! She hardly drank at all! What did you do!" Auburn-hair knelt beside her friend, lightly shaking her.

Wake up – Liam thought to himself, quite concerned by the loudness of Merissa's friends voice and the attention he was sure she was attracting. "I didn't do a thing!" He exclaimed, lying.

"Emi?" Merissa smiled and lifted her arms to her friends neck as if they were heavy and stiff. "I am so sleepy!" She added with a sigh, laying her head on her friends shoulder.

"Come on, Merissa" Auburn hair pulled her friend to her feet, wobbly legs barely holding her up.

"Let me help you" Liam began to open his door to go help take Merissa back to her friends but auburn hair cut him off

"Are you kidding me?" Her eyes, green as freshly cut grass, Liam noticed, burned into him. "I don't know what you're trying to pull, but you can go to hell"

Liam entered the classroom only a minute before the scheduled start time – dressed in a pair of khaki bootcut pants, brown boots, and a blue gray button down shirt, he was ready to start his first class at Yale; The Evolution of Evil. Richard was not over-estimating the class numbers, nearly every seat was full. At least 60 students sat in the auditorium seats, all eyes on Liam.

With a quick look over the classroom – always looking for something that might stand out – Liam began. "Good morning, I am Liam Apicella." He moved to the white board and scribbled his name and email address in brown dry-erase marker. "This is the Evolution of Evil, History 304, Monday, Wednesday, & Friday." He turned to face his audience – only the sounds of shuffling paper breaking the silence. "I'm going to make it short today, but throughout the semester please do not expect many early let out's or canceled classes. The topic of "Evil"," he made air quotes, "is a lengthy one, and I plan to cover it from the dawn of time… say the serpent in the Garden of Eden to…" he'd started to pace across the 12 foot raised platform, "to… well, what is evil today?"

The room was silent, the students were as still as could be, now avoiding eye contact with their teacher. Liam waited a moment, then gestured to a young man in the front row, "What do you think? What's evil?"

The boy's pale face began to blush in patches, and he stared up at Liam with a blank face. "Um," the boy gulped a breath of air, "I guess, like, terrorism and stuff"

"Yes, okay, good!" Liam went back to the white board, writing the suggestion, "Terrorism, now is that a new form of evil?"

"Yes" The boy responded, much quicker.

"It is?" Liam questioned as he crossed his arms over his chest. "It seems to me that terrorism, in some form, has been around since the day man was created. For as long as man has been on Earth, we've used the _fear of being hurt or killed, _not the actual clear and present threat, to get our way. To claim our territory. In many cases that's how religion spread from continent to continent – using the fear of the unknown, of the threat of burning in hell"

"But that's not the same as flying a plane into a building." Stated an Asian student who was sitting near the back.

"I think some would say it is, only it's developed from scary stories of what could happen & being beat with a club for trespassing, to a much larger, much more grand scale."

"So you're saying hell is a story? Just a fictional place used as a threat to keep people in line?" The Asian girl asked.

Liam was enjoying the back and forth –"I can't say that it is or isn't… I've not yet had the opportunity to visit." The group laughed. "But I can say, as a Christian man myself, I use the thought of hell… of the burning afterlife, I use it to keep myself in check. Don't you all? Christian or no, isn't there some sort of scary repercussion, some cause and effect that you use as a guide? Think about it & we'll talk more on Wednesday."  
Liam gathered a stack of papers from his desk, then handed them to the person sitting on the first row, farthest to the left. "I've emailed everyone the syllabus, but pass a copy around anyway. I'm NEVER in my office, but my contact info is listed there if you need to talk with me."

"Sir?" A young lady raised her hand.

"Oh please, just call me Liam."

"Are you a professor?" She let out a small chuckle, "I mean, you don't look much older than we are."

Liam smiled brightly, "I'm 23" he lied, adding a year to the age of his transformation, "and no I am not a professor, I'm just a Teachers Aid filling in until the actual professor can make it back."

"Are you a Yale Alum?" The fluster-faced boy asked.

"No, I do not have much of an accent left, but," Liam laughed, taking a seat in his leather chair. "I grew up in Italy. My parents were anxious to get me in college and out of their nest, so I tested out of high school in my freshman year, and started college at 15. I just finished up my Master's as well, both in history & from Oxford." How many times had he told this lie, he wondered.

The group of students were in a bit of a bussle about this, he overheard a few "Wow"s and "That's awesome"s

"Well, you all are free to go." The mass exodus began before he'd finished his sentence. He watched as they hurried out of the classroom, hoping to notice something, ANYTHING…

"Liam?" The most beautiful voice he'd ever heard spoke his name. His head turned to look at her, far faster than it should have, making him appear jumpy. There she was, the auburn haired girl from the night prior. In the classroom without much background noise, and speaking in a normal tone, Liam was able to hear the melodic tone in her voice. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I wanted to apologize," She tucked a strand of wavy hair the color of cherry wood behind her ear. "Merissa told us that you were a perfect gentleman to her. I feel so silly for the way I acted… and now you're my teacher! So…"

Liam observed her as she spoke – The way her hair fell upon her shoulders , perfectly disheveled, yet each strand in place. Her evergreen iris' surrounded by long, dark lashes. She wore a white long-sleeved tee shirt that hugged her small frame & light blue jeans that seemed to sit on low on the curve of her hips.

"It's fine, I mean yea, don't worry about it" Liam tripped over his words. Her beauty, the sound of her voice, the fragrance of her skin, it was all clouding his mind.  
She started talking again, something about how the class would probably be interesting, but Liam was not able to pay attention – the unique quality of her voice, almost like the last remaining ring of a church bell chiming in the summer air. Sweet and crisp, but laying in the background of her tone, it was incredibly unique, yet he'd heard it only once before.

_Australia was a country of misfits and criminals, sent away from the European countries and forming their own government of territorial dictators and gangs. At Richards suggestion, he & Liam had traveled to the bottom of the Earth, testing their pallets against the new flavors found in the blood of mammals that called Australia home. Liam found that the predator/pray relationship was a sensation that he'd never tire of. The silent stalking, a perfectly timed attack, and the short fight before Liam's fangs tore through the neck of the victim. He'd learned to enjoy the taste of animal blood as a substitute for that of a human. Fighting the urge to bite the neck of the nearest human was a struggle that Richard explained was closest to the feign felt by someone who was nearly drowing, fighting to expel the water from their lungs. The closest thing in human form was probably alcoholism, Richard suggested. Liam did not question how Richard would be able to relate the two, he'd learned that Richard liked to keep his private life, especially from his years as a human, private – sharing only small tidbits that Liam pieced together over the half century they'd spent together.  
On their way back to the boarding house on the far end of the small town of,***, Liam was surprised when a young lady called out to Richard – her voice weak and face wet from tears. She begged Richard for help, "like last time" she said, making Liam wonder how many times this woman had needed whatever kind of help Richard offered & if she were the real reason they'd made this trip._

_With a furrowed brow, Richard tried to explain that he was too tired, he'd not been very successful during their 3 hour hunting expedition and it had been a few days since he'd filled his hunger. She continued to beg, appearing to be no older than her early teens, she made mention of many times Richard had assisted her.  
Shaking his head in defeat & gently placing an arm around the young vampires shoulders, "Liam, may I speak with you regarding a favor?" Richard asked.  
The young girl clung to Richard, "thank you, thank you so much!" she cried into his chest._

_Richard explained that the young girl was his daughter, turned at 13, but nearly 120 years old. Liam was stunned – after all the time they'd spent together, Richard was his best and only friend left in the world, and he'd had no idea that Richard had a child. Richard continued, telling Liam that Marla, his daughter, was one to become extremely attached & treated humans as if they were pets. She had the mind of a 13 year old, the same way that Liam would always be 22. On many, many occasions, when Richard would visit, he would beg Marla to change her ways and to leave humans to their lives, but she was a caregiver to them in many cases, and it seemed to help keep her in touch with her human side – able to resist the bloodlust for humans. The only problem came when one of Marla's "pets" need to be put down. Many times, Marla would feed her to blood to them in an effort to keep them alive… causing them to suffer longer than necessary, but Marla could not bare the thought of being the one to kill them. There had been 2 young children that were plagued with an illness – Marla had kept them for years and years, tending to their needs the best she could, but inevitably, Richard had to put them down. When he'd found his daughter with them, the twin boys could barely breath, had lost their eyesight, and were hurting in all of their muscles even with the ingested vampire blood. Another time was a middle aged man who had been maimed in the war. Marla found him just before he bled to death. She kept him alive for almost 35 years, far longer than he would have lived as a healthy man, and Richard put him down to end his painful struggle with the wounds he'd carried for three decades. _

"_I am too hungry to be able to resist the blood of this one" Richard sighed, absentmindedly running his tongue across his aching gums. "Please, would you put this one to rest for me? Who knows how long she's kept them alive in misery, Liam."_

_The warm night wind swirled a cloud of dust and dirt around their feet as they made their way into the small, clapboard home of Marla and her human pet. It was really just one large room, smelling of musty wood & molding walls. On the far north side of the room was a wood burning stove, a table with small, painted chairs, and a large trough of dirty, stagnant water. Liam wondered if the murky water was for Marla's pet, since as vampires, water was not a requirement. _

"_Mrs. Rosalie," Marla spoke as if she were talking to a small kitten, keeping her voice soft and in a high pitch, "We have visitors!" Without turning towards him, Marla waved Liam toward the wrought-iron bed in the far corner of the room. "My friend wants to meet you."_

_Liam felt a wave of sadness cross his body, the small frame laying on the feather mattress appeared to be completely lifeless. The only sign that the frail body was still clinging to life was the slow and sporadic lifting and falling of her chest. The old woman's cotton white hair was neatly brushed and laid softly over the shoulder of her cotton night gown. The bedding, in the lightest shade of lavender, seemed to be tightly tucked around her tiny body. Liam glanced at Marla, impressed by how well taken care of the old woman seemed to be – before, while listening to Richard tell the stories of Marla's pets, he'd felt a bit ill with the thought of Marla keeping humans yet he now felt he had misjudged her. Marla loved her human companions. At this moment, looking down as Mrs. Rosalie and holding her bony, spotted hand in her own, Marla's eyes were full of tears and her bow shaped lips were pursed tightly. He placed his hand on Marla's back, he'd not seen a vampire cry… until that moment he did not know it was even a possibility. "It's okay, I'll make it quick." He whispered._

_The old woman's eyes opened wide, searching the room as if she'd been startled. Her breathing began to quicken. The three vampires were stunned by her surprising alertness. "She's going to have another shaking fit, hurry! It hurts her!" Marla cried and closed the distance between her and her father._

_Liam sat on the side of the bed and leaned towards the old woman – placing his hands lightly around her face. He would not drink of her blood, simply influence her mind to allow her heart to rest, to stop beating. Her eyes seemed to focus on his, opening his mouth to begin to speak, to start the process, he was interrupted. The old woman blinked "Liam?"_

_Her voice was weak and strained, but the sound of it nearly broke Liam's heart – it was a simply beautiful tone – like the sound of a violin or a nightingale's song. But how did she know his name? He quickly tried to remember if Marla or Richard had used it since they entered the home. "Liam, my love?" She repeated again. _

_Richard came to the bedside, "You know her?" he asked, puzzled._

_Liam just shook his head, not sure. "Where have you been? Please do not leave, Liam" Mrs Rosalie began to cry, tears falling from the yellowed whites of her tired eyes. Suddenly, Liam understood. The woman laying in the bed before him , dying and calling to him, was his Gianna. She was so close to death that her soul recognized him as her true love.  
"Gianna" He gasped as he spoke. The old woman smiled, as if hearing him say her name had given her a bit of proper happiness in such a terrible time. She shook her head yes, tears leaving a wet circle on the pillow beneath her head. _

**"Mr. Apicella?" Hearing his name pulled him back to the current time, dissolving his memory.

"Sorry, I was um, I was just thinking about someone you remind me of. I don't think I caught your name in the midsts of all the drama last night." Liam teased, feeling a flutter of excitement in the place where his unbeating heart resided.

"Yes, sorry" She smiled, extending her hand toward him – short & well kept fingernails painted a deep shade of purple. "Emily Bowman, art history major."

He held her hand gently, reveling in the smoothness of her skin. "Liam Apicella, assistant professor of Evil"

They laughed for a moment, the attraction between them seemed evident to Liam and he hoped she was noticing it too. "Anyway, I have to get going. Don't want to be late for lunch. It gets pretty scarce by noon."

"Why don't you let me take you to lunch?" Liam shoved his papers into his brown leather messenger bag. "You said it yourself, I am a perfect gentleman." He held his arms out, palms up, as if to say Why Not?

Emily pushed her hair behind her ears, then slid her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. "I can't, sorry. It wouldn't look too good if I was seen having lunch with the young and handsome professor of Evil."

"Assistant!" Liam corrected her in a joking manner. "It's just lunch, what can it hurt? I know where to get a great plate of fries." He could tell she was intrigued, her smile never faded and there was an excited sparkle in the grass green eyes he was mesmerized by.

She looked at her watch, contemplating the time. "I have class at 1:15"

"I'll have you back by 1, I promise." He was nearly exploding with anticipation. Her voice was exactly as he'd remembered Rosalie's – this was his Gianna, it had to be.

Emily adjusted her bag on her shoulder & smiled, "Mmmm, I do love a plate of fries".

Making small talk as they made their way to the faculty parking lot, Liam asked her many questions in an effort to keep her talking, allowing him to bathe in the beauty of her voice. The wind had picked up a bit, tousling browned leaves across the still green campus grass and creating a soundtrack of gently swaying tree limbs. In the breeze, Liam could smell Emily's body – a mixture of lemon zest & vanilla bean, mixed together with the warm, iron, scent of her blood – his hunger was growing quickly.  
By the time they had reached his Mustang, he'd learned that she grew up in Seattle, Washington. Went to public schools for most of her life until the last 2 years of high school, when she received an academic scholarship to attend a very prestigious private school in upstate Washington. Emily had only one sibling, an older sister. She was about to be an aunt as her sister was due near Thanksgiving. She had a close relationship with her parents, though they had divorced a few years prior, and she was in a serious relationship with someone she had met during the summer program at Yale.

"How serious?" Liam questioned lightheartedly, truly not concerned about someone else interfering, he had all the time in the world and they were soul mates, as soon as she realized that, any outside meddling would naturally come to an end. "I mean, too serious to go get fries with a 'young and handsome' Italian guy in a sports car?"

Emily chucked and rolled her eyes at Liam for repeating her description of him. He opened the passenger side door and she sat on the warm leather seat. "No, he's not at all insecure. He's very successful and he's got it together, you know."

"He's successful?" Liam continued the questioning when he slipped in the drivers seat. "So you mean he's older?"

"My gosh! Why so many questions! I thought we were going for fries, not to interrogate me" Emily mocked an irritated voice. In reality, she was having a nice time, but the proximity between the two, now so close inside the heavily tinted windows of his car, being able to see his gray blue eyes – so dark, yet highlighted by flecks of silver, reminding her of lightening in a summer day's stormy sky – it was making her feel nervous and excited.

Liam furrowed his brow as if he were trying to figure something out. "I don't know" he cocked his head to the side a bit, "I just need to get an idea of what kind of competition I'm up against." She was taken aback by his forwardness. Feeling her cheeks begin to flush, she swallowed hard. "I'm sorry to make you uncomfortable," His voice was so smooth flowing into her ears. Something about this man made her feel like she were standing near a cliff, feeling a magnetic pull, something dangerous yet irresistible. "I'm not usually so direct; it's just that when I want something, it's all I can think about." Liam smiled innocently, never breaking eye contact with her. He could hear her heart racing and smell the sweet scent of her blood pumping quickly through her veins. At that moment, he was unsure if he wanted to kiss her rosebud lips or drain her body dry – both desires fighting inside of him creating butterflies in his stomach and a ping of pain in his gums.

She breathed deeply, "You've just met me"

Liam turned forward and started the car, the powerful engine sending a wave of vibrations through the building tension inside the cab. He fastened his seatbelt and put the manual stick shift in reverse, then placed his arm across the back of the passenger seat. He looked out of the back window, then back to Emily who was leaning halfway on the leather seat and half on the door, facing him and allowing as much room between them as she could in such a small car. "Does it feel that way to you?"

Emily stopped breathing, Liam heard her lungs pause, and he wondered if it was because she felt something between the two of them, or maybe he was coming on too strong. He'd waited so many years to be with her like this, to be able to look into her eyes and feel that connection again. Maybe he was wanting it too badly, after all, Emily had no idea who he was & to her he was just another regular guy.

"What are you saying? That we've met in a previous life?" She asked, her tone light, but voice a bit shaky.

He put the car back into park and turned to her, placing his arm back around her seat. Leaning towards her and speaking softly he said "All I know is, I have thought about you since the moment I saw you," Emily lowered her head a bit, a shy smile on her face, and continued to look at him through her eyelashes. "but maybe I'm alone here?"

"No," she whispered, following her instinct and moving her face towards his "I thought about you too"

"Would it be too much if I kissed you?" Liam closed his eyes, breathing her in, lemon zest & vanilla.

Emily parted her lips moving towards him, he was so beautiful. Chiseled facial features and glowing olive colored skin, her mouth watered to taste his kiss, to feel his mouth upon hers, to graze the tip of his tongue with her own.  
The sound of her cell phone broke the moment of isolation, causing Emily to jerk away from him in surprise. Liam did not move, only open his eyes and frowned a bit. "My phone!" She moved quickly, obviously nervous now that the moment was no longer holding them captive, searching through her book bag. "It's my boyfriend." She sighed when she found the phone, then answered.

Liam sat back in the driver's seat, full of frustration. After three centuries, her mouth had been only centimeters from his own, he'd been able to resist the urge to bare his fangs, but the damned technology of the 20th century once again was more of a nuisance to him than a gift! Though he could have used his extra sensitive hearing to listen to both sides of the conversation, he was too frustrated to think about it. He just listened as she spoke to her boyfriend, telling him that she was going to have lunch with a classmate – lying to him was a good sign, Liam noted – then after a few "yes," "okay", and "alright" 's, Emily put the phone back in her yellow backpack.

"I have to go."

Liam was laying against the back of his seat, his head relaxed on the head rest. "No you don't"

"I really do, Liam." Emily unbuckled her seat belt. "My boyfriend has the afternoon off and we're going to look at apartments."

Moving in together, not a good sign Liam noted.

Emily could see the disappointment in his eyes, those burning blue eyes. She had to turn away from him; he was like gravity, pulling at her to stay. She slipped her bag over her shoulder as she got out of the car. Leaning over, she took one last look at Liam, "My cell phone is listed as my contact number on the student roster for your class, how about a rain check?"

Liam spent the remaining hours before his next class searching the small city for the nearest hospital – after such an enticing half hour with Emily, the smell of her body and blood egging on his hunger, he had to have something to drink. He was quite angry at how his first real encounter with her had turned out. Liam wondered if he should have just used mind control to keep her with him, ignore the boyfriend and marry her by nightfall. Though the idea had crossed his mind several times while they were together, the 18th century appropriateness that was engraved into his mind would not allow it. Unless it was the last option, he would not influence her to do his will, he could not dishonor Gianna's soul that way.

He enjoyed driving his car through the old town of New Haven and it did not take long for him to spot a tired nurse standing alone outside the ER entrance of St. Augustine's Medical Center as she smoked a cigarette. She was quite young, Liam noticed, and when she saw him approaching her, she did her best to straighten her loose pony tail and correct the strands of mousy brown hair that had fallen around her plump face. Politely, she smiled as he neared her, the sound of her heart beats filling his ears.

"How are you?" Liam asked, now standing quite close to her, hands deep in his pockets and shoulders pulled up, as if he were getting chilled, when truthfully the temperature of his environment – whether burning hot or well below freezing did not affect him in the least. Yet, he had grown to appreciate the coolness of fall as the scents of his prey seemed to linger longer than in the drastic heat or cold. "Can I bum one of those?"

"Oh yea, sure" She dug in her purse, retrieved the pack of cigarettes, then turned back to the handsome stranger who was now standing extremely close to her. She sucked in her breath, frightened by his height hovering over her in such a domineering manor. When their eyes met, Liam spoke quietly and slowly, influencing her to do his will. Though he would have much rather ripped through her pale skin & drank her body dry of it's blood, a desire he would never fully rid himself of, he instead told her to retrieve 4 bags of donor blood, place them in laundry sack, and bring them back to him. The girl smiled, now relaxed & completely accepting his powers of mind control, then left him awaiting his meal.

Once he returned to the faculty parking lot for his 2nd class of the day, Liam tucked the remaining 2 bags of blood beneath the passenger seat & made his way back to the history building. 20 feet away, he could sense the presence of another of his kind. The animal reaction took over; his eyes began to search the crowds of students, his sense of smell trying to seek out where the vampire was, ears listening for a coming attack. Liam forced his lips to stay closed as his fangs began to slowly emerge, continuing his way through the crowd. He spotted a stray dog in the distance, saw the last of the birds on campus perched wearily in the trees – also aware of the two vampires in their midst – but he could not locate the other vampire & after looking at his watch, he had very little time to get to his second class. With one last look around, Liam stepped onto the elevator.

"Up or down?" A pierced young man asked.

Liam quickly decided that he was no threat, just a very immature human with the stench of marijuana on his breath & body "4, please".

_Text Message (471)855-4142_

Emily didn't recognize the number, and though she was suddenly quite excited, she was sure it couldn't be Liam. It had only been a few hours since they parted ways. Her afternoon had been spent with a monotone realtor and her boyfriend – handsome and kind, always considerate of her – but she'd been in another world for the entire apartment buying experience thus far. Currently on their fifth stop and alone in a lofted ceiling bedroom with walls of nearly black wood, she was lost in her thoughts gazing out of the bay window and looking at nothing in particular, Emily felt uplifted when she read the text.

_: So, are you still being domestic with your boyfriend or can I cash in that rain check for some pizza at Halston's?_

_Emily: Yes, still looking. What time did you have in mind? _  
She saved his number as 'L.A.', unsure why she was being secretive, or at least not wanting to admit to herself that she was being cautious because whatever the relationship between she and Liam was budding into, it was not something that her boyfriend would be pleased about.

_L.A.: I'll be there whenever you can get away._

_Emily: See you in 45 minutes?_

_L.A.: Absolutely ;)_

Emily had a smile on her face, sliding the thin, white phone into her back pocket, as arms slipped around her waist from behind her, causing her to flinch in surprise.

"Darling," He released his hold on her a bit, "I think this is the best one, yet"

"And it's only 1.1 million" The realtor added, leaning her plump body against the door frame heading into the master bathroom.

Emily turned into his embrace and placed a kiss on his cheek, "Yea, it's nice. Whitney just texted me, we were supposed to meet for dinner in half an hour. I had completely forgot!"

His face saddened a bit, she seemed so uninterested for most of the day, but he'd hoped that she had loved the gothic feel of this home as much as he did. "Oh yes, okay. I didn't mean to keep you from your school friends."

Emily looked at his face; from his salt & pepper hair and tanned & creased skin around his wheat brown eyes, to thin lips curving around perfectly white teeth – he was quite handsome. "It's no problem. But I do need to get going."

"I can drive you" He offered as she began to head towards the door of the bedroom.

"Oh no, no, I'm just going to walk." She felt a bit nervous, she was never much of a liar and the flushing of her cheeks made her feel uncomfortably warm all over. His face looked concerned, almost like he knew she was lying, but then he smiled and said goodbye to her with a wave and a nod.

Usually a busy, college hang-out, Halston's Pizza was nearly empty when Emily arrived. The lighting was dim, with the majority over the bar & a few hanging spot lights with blue blown-glass coverings glowing above each booth, it was difficult to recognize the faces of the 6 or so people who were working on mugs of beer or watching the hockey game on the large flat screen above the bar. She took her bag from her shoulder, heaving the heavy backpack into the corner of a booth seat that faced the door. Gathering her hair in her hands and pulling the length to one side as she took a seat, a sudden coolness on her neck gave a shiver, traveling through her muscles. The temperature of the room seemed to change, but she was facing the only opening to the relatively small restaurant and it had not opened.  
"Know what you want to drink?" the female bartender called across the room.

Emily smiled and shook her head no, then feeling the nerves of her body on edge from lying to her boyfriend and sneaking off to meet Liam, she changed her mind "Yes, actually, can I get a Guinness in a glass, please"

"I didn't peg you for a dark beer kind of girl" Suddenly, Liam was standing a couple of feet behind her. Emily breathed deeply with surprise, taking in the smell of his cologne – clean and light.

She smiled cheerfully, happy to be in his presence again. "I didn't see you when I came in?"

Liam folded a notebook in half, slipped it in the back of the waste of his dark jeans, then moved into the booth seat across from Emily. He was wearing a very dark military-style brown leather jacket, nearly black but showing its true colors in the slightly worn creases & seams, and a dark gray v-neck tee shirt, a thin, silver, ball-chain hanging around his neck and dipping into his shirt.

"I was at the bar"

"Why didn't you say anything?" She laughed

"Just wanted to watch you for a minute." Liam's blue eyes nearly burned into her. Breaking his heavy, sultry gaze, Emily looked down. "I was writing, actually" His voice was quite a bit lighter, as if he realized that his intense tone was a bit much for her.

"Stuff for class?" She asked, taking the Guinness from the bar maid who also brought Liam a drink.  
"Thanks," Liam addressed the woman, who looked at him like she would've stripped naked for him at his first request, yet he barely seemed to notice her. "No, well sort of, I may use it at some point, but I've kept a journal for as long as I can remember."

"What are you drinking?" Emily questioned, not sure she'd ever seen a drink that looked like the one in his hand. It was a deep scarlet and appeared to be quite thick as it moved slowly in the small tumbler glass.

Liam smiled at her as if he was pleased that she noticed his strange choice in drink. "I don't drink alcohol." Emily suddenly felt guilty for the beer she'd been sipping on, pulling it away from lips. "It's not like a personal stance or anything; I just cannot stand the taste of it." He chuckled a bit. In truth, alcohol burned a vampire's mouth and intestines as if someone had set fire to their nerve endings. "This is warm tomato juice". He took a gulp of the red liquid and then smiled innocently at Emily as he relished in the taste of the donor blood he'd got from the ER nurse. It had sat in his car for a couple hours and warmed to perfection. Liam arrived at Halston's early and influenced the barmaid to bring him small glasses of it in order to help him keep his desires calm. As the day passed and night fell, Liam's urge to sink his teeth into a human's artery matured.

They sat in the booth for nearly 2 hours, laughing together as if they were old friends. A low volume soundtrack streaming from the jukebox setting the mood. They shared stories about Yale, asking each other the kind of get-to-know-you questions you would ask someone – how old are you, favorite music, favorite movie, siblings, hobbies. Liam told Emily of the places he'd been, explaining that he'd traveled quite a bit with his parents who were missionaries for the Catholic church. Emily shared her experiences growing up in the Pacific Northwest coast – of spending endless days on beaches and perfect nights around a firepit with family and friends. Liam loved to hear her speak, about absolutely anything really, but especially about her family. The slight chime in her voice seemed almost angelic when she spoke of things that she loved and hearing it gave him a feeling of warmth and comfort, like he'd felt as a child when he woke to the sun on his face. Any more, the suns warmth was more of a curse, draining him of his strength and supernatural powers, than a pleasant sensation.

"Tell me about your bedroom, as a child I mean." He asked, wondering if it was pink and purple and covered with dolls, or if she were more of a tomboy.

"You're kind of odd, Liam" She sighed, teasing him. "I'm still not sure how you're only a couple years older than me and yet, you're teaching a class at Yale"

"I told you," Liam was enjoying himself. He found it hard to mingle with humans without wanting to feed from them, but in their conversation he'd not thought about her exposed neck, at least not in a violent manor. "I graduated early!"

"So you're some kind of a prodigy?"

"Call it what you will." Liam leaned on the table, "I still say I only finished school early as a means of survival."

"Survival?" Emily laughed, amused by where the conversation was going. She'd already drank nearly two and a half beers, trying to keep up with Liam and his tomato juice, and was feeling herself really loosen up.

"Yes, survival" He repeated, his slight Italian accent tickling Emily's ears. "My parents wanted rid of me. So it was either head off to University or find a nice spot on the streets"

"Mmm, okay" Emily spoke as if she'd suddenly had an epiphany, "Now I get it, you were a bad kid, huh?" She leaned in as well, turning her head to the side, "so what'd you do?"

Liam looked into her eyes, appreciating the copper specks scattered in the deep green of her iris'. "What do you think I did?"

She pressed her lips a bit, inspecting his flawless skin and perfectly tousled hair. "I'm not quite sure…"

"Do I seem dangerous to you?" He looked at her lips, parted slightly and shiny from a light coat of lip gloss. He felt a desire in his gut that he did not recognize at first – it made his chest ache with tension and caused his mouth to water – he wanted to kiss her, hard and deep, tasting her lips and tongue.

"Another beer?" the waitress said loudly, as if purposely breaking up their closeness & sliding her arm between them as she sat the glass in front of Emily. Emily looked up at the woman in frustration at first, and then realized that she'd nearly crossed a line and the waitress had saved her from making a terrible mistake. She'd nearly allowed him to kiss her; again, for the second time in one day she'd almost been untrue to her boyfriend. Liam took the rest of his drink in one long swallow, handing the empty glass to the barmaid then looking over to Emily.

"You look as though something is bothering you?" He smiled, then reached for her hand that was resting on the table. She moved it away, placing both of her hands in her lap, before he could touch her. "I'm almost afraid to ask."

Emily looked down at her fingers as if she were inspecting the polish on her nails. "I don't know what I'm doing here. I have a boyfriend that I love" Her words stung him, yet her voice was still so striking. "I should get going, Liam"

He just shook his head in acceptance – Gianna would not be the type of girl to deceive one that she loved, how could he have thought it would be so easy.

Emily picked up her bag, putting both straps around her slender shoulders, and looked at Liam with sad eyes before heading to the door and out into the cool night air. The breeze hit her hard, swooshing her hair back and sobering her a bit. It felt good to be outside, to be away from Liam, from the pull of his body and the attraction that felt so luscious & wrong.

Stepping to the curb to hail a cab, she was surprised at the light grip that caught her forearm and spun her around effortlessly. Liam was standing in front of her – his eyes burning as if a storm was rumbling inside of the blue orbs.

"Emily, I understand the situation you are in, and I respect you for making the right decision." He slipped his hand across the nape of her neck and ran his thumb down the side of her face, his touch setting her skin on fire with want. "But I have to tell you goodnight the proper way, or I'll never stop regretting letting you leave tonight."

They gazed into one another eyes for a long moment, then Liam put his other hand on the small of her back and pulled her to him, feeling her body press against his in a way he'd never experienced before. Emily looked up at him and closed her eyes, just as his lips slowly grazed hers. He pulled away, looking at her face to make sure she was okay, and then kissed her again, harder and more passionately. He slipped his tongue between her lips slightly and a light, almost soundless moan escaped her. Emily placed her hand on the curve of his chest, then moved up to his chiseled face. They shared a wonderful kiss and then it was over – Liam was the one who pulled away - knowing he was nearing a point of no return, a place that he'd not be able to let her leave. He smiled at her, a desire that he'd carried since his days of being a human finally filled. Without moving his eyes from hers, he took her hand in his and kissing the inner wrist. She'd never had anyone kiss her there and it made her desire for him nearly uncontainable. "Goodnight, Emily"

"So, how'd it go?" Whitney's voice was muffled; she was looking in the back of the shared dorm room refrigerator for a yogurt. Her long, thin legs and blue Yale Athletics shorts were the only parts of her that were not entirely inside of it.  
Emily sat her book bag beneath the sofa table and in a daze, continued towards the room she shared with Nicole.  
"Hello? Em?" Whitney tried again, tossing a grape at Emily's head, just missing but successfully getting her attention. Emily sighed with a tired smile upon her face. "Did you guys find a place?"

Emily creased her brow for a moment, lost in her thoughts of how close she'd come to allowing Liam's kiss to take her in every way imaginable. Her attention was elsewhere. Wrapped up in Liam's clean cologne, dark wavy hair, and stormy eyes. She replayed the time she spent with him over and over, each time making the smile on her face and the electricity running through her veins grow stronger. "No, we uh…" She shook her head as if to place her thoughts in the correct order, "we just looked."

Emily laid back on the cream colored couch, tucking one of the many pastel throw pillows, courtesy of Marissa, beneath her head.

"Firs of all, you're welcome! Aren't you wondering how I knew you were looking for an apartment?" Whitney crossed her arms, her stance resembling that of a parent who was dishing out punishment to their child. "Your boyfriend called to apologize to me for holding up from our dinner…. Don't worry I covered for you. But where did you go? AND I still don't understand how this is going to work, I mean, he's…" Whitney was interrupted by Marissa's screech as she came into the dorm. Emily was thrilled for the distraction.

"OH MY GOD!" Marissa looked very tired today, Emily thought, concerned that her friend may have been coming down with something. "You are never going to guess who I saw!" Emily and Whitney shared a look of surprise as Marissa tossed her satchel by the door and nearly ran the small distance between the doorway and the living quarters. "Guess!"

"By the way you're acting I'd say it had to be someone like David Beckham." Whitney was annoyed by Marissa, especially when she was over-zealous about things, twice as annoyed when it was about a boy.

"No, better!" Marissa nearly screamed, taking a seat on the floor and resting her back against the couch Emily was laying on.

Whitney looked down at them both, an aggravated expression on her face. "Just tell us already!"

Marissa began, "Okay, so when I got up this morning, I was like SO tired. I mean, I think I could have slept another 4 hours, ya know! I almost totally skipped wearing any make up! So I went to my first class…" Without trying, Emily tuned her out, but continued to watch her friend speak with her hands, watching as they moved around quickly, enunciating her story. She wondered if Liam would call her soon. She desperately wanted to be with him, but why she was unsure. Yes, he was very, very attractive – something about the way clothes hung on his slim, muscular frame made her imagination run wild. While sitting in his class, she was embarrassed at how she was nearly undressing him with her eyes. And the way he spoke, so intelligently and with the slightest hint of an accent when he said certain vowel sounds. His confidence was overwhelming, inviting. The kiss they shared was epic, like something you'd see in a classic movie.

"He's a professor!" Whitney squealed, "No f'n way! He's like 19!"

Emily was suddenly aware of Marissa & Whitney's conversation, they were talking about Liam.

"Seriously, he's teaching a history class or something and I ran into him in on the way to my Art Appreciation class!"

"So what did he say? Was he like, 'hey baby'" Whitney teased with a deep voice, now sitting on the arm of the chair and interested in what Marissa had to say.

She sighed, "Actually, I don't know if he even recognized me at first. Which makes me wonder how many chicks he makes out with in his car! I mean, I called to him twice and he looked at me… like right through me."

Emily's high was sinking quickly. Marissa had a point. Liam appeared to be a serial womanizer. She didn't even think about Marissa and Liam while bathing in his attention earlier & the way the barmaid was mesmerized by him… who knows how many times he'd hooked up with her– how stupid can I be, she thought as she sat up.

"Oh come on," Whitney laughed, "surely you didn't think he was going to be asking you to 'go steady' or something!" Marissa looked a bit hurt by the teasing. "I mean, look at that guy – he'd be just as comfortable strutting his stuff on a Calvin Klein underwear billboard as he was in that club!"

"So what? He's too hot to want to be with me?"

Whitney rolled her eyes, "You know what I'm saying. He's too good looking to settle down with anyone… he's like the Brad Pitt of Yale!"

Emily gave Marissa an empty smile when she looked to her for support. How could she argue with Whitney's observation, it appeared to be spot on and just hours earlier Emily herself had fallen victim to Liam's charm.

"I don't know…"Marissa hugged her knees. "You would have to spend time with him, I mean, it's like he's so intensely focused on you…"

"Like nothing else exists in the world." Emily finished her thought. Then stood up and grabbed her book bag. "That's how players are," She continued, "this one is just really talented."

"Where are you going?" Marissa asked, her eyes saddened from the realization that her friends were probably right about the man that had pleased her so.

Emily didn't stop, just called over her shoulder as she left the apartment, "I have some apologizing to do."

"Richard you don't understand!" Liam was pacing the large library of Richards's home, relishing in the thrill of having kissed Emily, of being one step closer to ending the nightmare he'd created so many years ago. He knew he was rambling, but he could not help himself. The room was dark and the walls were floor to ceiling books yet he felt as if he were standing on top of the sun. Richard's cigar smoke filled the room with the unique smell of Cuban tobacco but his senses were delighted by the lingering aroma of lemon zest and vanilla. He'd spent many nights with Richard in rooms just like this one, breathing in the cigar smoke & allowing the night to fade into the memory of the thousands of nights past – but tonight would not be like the others, he had found Gianna. "It was the most astonishing moment of my life." In moments like this, when he was overwhelmed with an extreme emotion, be it excitement or rage, his Italian accent would flow freely.

Richard watched Liam pacing and listened to the story of the girl he was supposed to be in love with, but Richard had heard all of this before. Liam had been haunted by the memory of woman he lost for over three centuries, and numerous times he'd convinced himself he had found her soul recreated, only to be crushed by the reality of his life when the girl did not carry the marking of the druid priestess who created the spell.

It was not easy to miss, a perfect x tilting to the left. Richard had seen some of Mia's work on animals and had once seen a vampire that she'd killed, the marking placed squarely on the vampire's eyelids & created by pooled blood beneath the skins surface.

It had been one of the most frightening moments of Richards's young vampire life. He'd believed that a vampire was indestructible – their only predator he'd ever heard of was werewolves, and they'd been killed to extinction by the European sport hunters. To see Mia fight off an impending attack from a vampire nearly put Richard in shock.

She was only in her teens at the time, so small and fragile, yet when the vampire bared his fangs and tried to take her life, with only the raising of her hands the vampire fell. Richard could remember as if it were only yesterday the way the vampire clutched his eyes, screaming from the deepest reaches of his gut, crying out in pain. What lasted only seconds seemed like hours to Richard as he observed the vampire that turned him transform to stone and his eyes lids scared with the priestess' marking. From that day forward, he'd sworn to be a friend to the druids, as a matter of self-preservation & respect.

There'd been so many times that Liam was convinced he'd found her; the only confirmed one was Rosalie. She was dying, she could not be saved. Lying in that bed, overcome with the pain of death, Liam used his powers of influence and calmed her. He called her by her given name, Gianna, and gave her peace. He manipulated her mind to allow her heart to slow, her lungs to relax, and then to stop fighting at all. Before departing, they gave her a proper burial. While Marla cleaned her body and dressed her in a beautiful yellow gown, Liam said Gianna's favorite color was yellow, Marla found the marking that Richard asked her to look for. It was small and the lightest shade of pink, just above her ankle bone. So light it could barely be seen, but it was there.

Liam cried for her, heartbroken all over again and in mourning for years following, but his hope was renewed. In some ways, Richard was envious of the undying love Liam carried. Richard had not been as lucky, but he was hopeful that his life at Yale was leading to his own great love story. He'd been a demon of the night for nearly 5 centuries, and he had loved, but never had he felt about anyone the way he imagined Liam must have felt for Gianna, not until he'd come to Yale.

"What?" Liam had stopped, looking at Richard who was lost in his own thoughts. "Why are you staring off into space like that?" Liam already knew what was the matter, they'd had this same conversation many times – he already knew of Richard's skepticism.

Richard shrugged his shoulders a bit, taking a long drag from the cigar. "Did you see the marking?"

"Yea Richard, I stripped her naked right there on the curb." Liam snapped at Richard, he knew he should've been more respectful to the man who'd been like a father to him, but he'd grown tired of Richard's constant doubting. How could he have been clearer? It was Gianna. Emily and Rosalie shared the same voice like that of the mythical sirens of the sea, calling him to save her.

"Liam, how can you expect me to be accepting of this? I do not want to see you hurt again." He looked at Liam with a serious expression, "This town does not want to see you hurt"

Liam's aggravation lulled with the understanding of Richard's words. This town would not want to have to deal with Liam's disappointment should Emily turn out to not be Gianna. The last time, in 1922, he'd taken the lives of more than half of a small African village.

Being a vampire not only meant that he was extra strong with heightened senses, but it also increased emotions ten-fold. Sadness became the darkest depression; joy was the highest of highs; Anger was rage, rage… that was something that could not be described. Any mixture was inconceivable. He'd been so sure that the young girl he'd courted for months was Gianna. She had her smile and a very similar laugh. She was beautiful and exotic, with dark skin, black eyes, and the blackest of black long braids.

After proposing marriage to her, their kisses led to the removing of a couple pieces of clothes. Liam wanted to proceed, wanted to take what was his, but Richard's voice of doubt crept into his thoughts. He could not dishonor her without knowing for sure. When he asked her in her native tongue if she had any scars, Zulilun proudly gazed at the man she agreed to marry and said "No, Liam, I have not one scar, not one birth mark, my skin has been blessed by the God's."

Liam felt his fangs protrude through his gums, his eyes turn to the coal black of a predator, and his muscles stiffen. Zulilun was so proud of her flawless skin, in her culture it was a very rare trait to have scar less skin, and she was quite shocked when Liam left her half naked in her hut without even looking back at her. He ran at lightning speed for miles, doing what he could to burn off his aggression, but then he came upon a village near modern day Johannesburg who were in the middle of an ancient ritual that included the whipping of their soldiers. The smell of blood egged him on, and before dawn he'd ripped the throats of so many people. Richard found him a few days later, hung-over from the binge, and still covered in coddled blood.

He did not like to think about the lives he'd taken, the guilt he felt for the wrong doings in his life cursed him at every moment. Many years ago, he'd taken to sleeping pills & brandy as a way to get through the nights without waking in screams from being haunted in his dreams by the blood he'd stolen.

Richard could see that Liam was replaying his memories; he knew that he'd broken through young Liam's inflated hopes and he would listen to common sense. "Just ask her, influence her and find out." Richard placed his heavy hand on Liam's shoulders, looking him squarely in the eyes. "Before you put yourself too far into this."

Liam threw himself back onto the leather couch, exhausted from the tornado of emotions that were ripping through him. "Let's get something to eat. I want to hunt." He stated, allowing his head to rest on the cushion, unconsciously baring his neck to the only person he could trust in the world.

"Liam." Richard could tell that Liam was beginning to feel the urge to prey, to release his emotion through the most primal way a vampire knew. "Do you really think that's a good idea? Why don't you feed on one of the donor bags in my extra bedroom closet?"

Liam stood, frustrated with himself and with the constant fight with his hunger. "I meant hunt animals… a rabbit or something"

"I know what you meant, you feel like killing something. Let's not give into that urge quite so early in this relationship with your young lady, huh?"They stared at one another for a moment, much like a father would stare down his son.

Liam gave up with a sigh and headed to Richard's stash. As he walked down the slender hallway, he stepped around boxes, wondering why Richard was unhappy in this apartment. It seemed to be a perfect fit for him, mysterious and boding, just like he liked it. It was the home of a well-established, successful older man with dark wood from floor to ceiling & large beams crossing the vaulted ceilings – creating straight lines and a woods-like feel. Each room had been decorated in the same style as always; slightly gothic and the décor made up of the items he'd collected over his many, many years.

As he neared the extra bedroom, the aroma of human blood filled his nostrils. Richard stored the blood in a cedar chest, as he had since he acquired the chest in the late 1800's from an Indian trading post in Oklahoma. The cedar wood seemed to permeate the blood and enhance the flavoring – giving it a significant "Richard" taste. Entering the bedroom, painted the deepest of red and decorated in like with the rest of the house, a large cross bow hung above the headboard of the bed and reminded Liam of the time when he and Richard actually tried to hunt like humans, with humans. The memory made him smile to himself – recalling how they had spent days with the Duke of Bellshire, hunting with weapons, only to come back to the Duke's estate empty handed & starving. Richard nearly drank the estate's sire cow dry once the Duke had turned in for the night. Liam treated himself to the Duke's eldest daughter who'd fancied Liam the entire visit. Somehow she knew what he was as soon as they'd met. When she asked him to confirm her suspicion, he was too off kilter to deny. After days of begging to be turned, Liam granted her wish and turned Countess Marie Courtierre into a vampire. Liam had heard that she did not make it a full month before being captured by the town's people and burnt at the stake. Yet another painful memory tweaking at his hunger and stinging his eyes with tears.

"Hello? Are you home?" Her voice chimed in his ears, relieving him of his agonizing hunger immediately. "Hello" She playfully drug out the "o" sound.

In a flash, Liam was standing at the end of the hall way, looking at Emily. She'd put her hair into a loose pony tail, but other than that she hadn't changed – still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

"Emily?" Through a smile that was wide and bright, Liam's voice was soft and came out in a sigh. "How did you know I –"

"Emily, my lovely Emily! I was not expecting you." Richard voice echoed through the hallway from the other end. Without hesitation Emily turned towards Richard and walked into his embrace. Liam's eyes followed Richard's hands as they gently caressed Emily's back when they hugged, then rested lightly on her hips. Never in the 300 years that he'd known Richard had he ever wanted to hurt him in any way. They'd had disputes, and even full blown fights, but never had he wanted to inflict harm on Richard. But at that moment, watching as his thumbs moved slightly under the white cotton of Emily's tee-shirt and caressed the bare skin above the waste of her jeans; Liam wanted nothing more than to dismantle his body, limb by limb.

"I came to apologize." Emily looked over her shoulder at Liam, he was glaring at the two of them. She wondered if his eyes were breaking into a storm as they had before his kissed her. "But, I'm uh", she moved away from Richard a bit, his arm lingering around her waist. "I didn't know you had company."

Richard laughed hardily. "There is no reason to apologize my dear, this is not company!" He gestured towards Liam, seemly not noticing Liam's aggressive stance. "This is my God-son, Liam"

Once again on the leather couch in the den, Liam did as Richard asked and stayed, against his better judgment. He stayed and listened to how Richard met Emily over the summer while working with the incoming freshmen. He heard the story of their first date, how they had to hide their developing relationship from the others in class because a May-December romance such as theirs was even more frowned upon when it included the head of the history department and a student. But she's of age, he reasoned. And though he is 22 years older, he's very youthful and keeps up with her just fine, she stated with a smug smile. All the while he watched them sitting across from him - their fingers were entwined, shoulders together, and with her legs crossed and leaning towards him, the arch of her bare foot continued to nonchalantly graze Richards shin in a loving manor. Each touch tempting Liam to allow his rage overwhelm him.

Richard had deceived him in the lowest manner.

_Why had he even invited me to come to Yale?_ _Why not just keep his distance and never allow me to find out?_ - Liam questioned.

He was glaring at Richard, contemplating the best way to attack him, to take the life from his body by piecing his chest with stake. He was rubbing this in his face, Liam decided, making sure Liam knew who the Alpha was in their pack of two. Over the years while traveling together, they'd met other vampires who were always stunned that they'd been able to work together. Vampires were meant to work alone; their relationship had been so unnatural according to the others. Yet Liam never listened, never even suspected Richard of being the kind to one-up him. Not until now, not until the moment that Richard took Emily into his arms, now Liam saw Richard for exactly who he was.

"So you see, I should've come right out and told you, Liam" Richard cleared his throat, unsure why Liam's face was stone like and why his knuckles were turning white. "But, we are so used to keeping quiet about our relationship, it was simply habit." They giggled together, some sort of inside joke between two lovers – Liam began to feel ill.

"Sure." He groaned. "I need to eat, Richard." Liam stood, muscles raging to be let loose on his dearest friend in the world, and he began moving towards the exit. The image of her body pressed against his burned through his brain. Slipping through the door, Richard caught him by the arm, the squeeze a bit tighter than a friendly grasp.

"You are being awfully rude, Liam" He scowled.

Liam jerked his arm away, the force pulling Richard into the hallway as if he'd been shoved. "Am I?" Liam nearly growled.

Richard looked at his young friend, a look of confusion upon his face. "I apologized for not telling you immediately, but Liam I was going to. Then you came over tonight with the story of the girl in your class… I didn't think you'd want to hear about your old friend finding love when you've been searching for the same for so many years."

Liam's eyes slowly turned from fury to understanding – it rolled across his body like concrete, weighing him down; in all the time he'd spent telling Richard about Emily, about how he was certain she was Gianna, that he'd finally found her, not once did he say her name. No specifics were given at all, come to think about it. He'd told Richard she was beautiful and smart, funny with a wonderful sense of witt, even that she carried that unique scent of lemon zest and vanilla… but that was it. That show they'd put on in the den, holding each other in such loving ways, the closeness, it was real. Richard loved Emily, and she returned his love willingly.

Looking at his friend who was standing in a dimly lit hallway with a sorrowful look upon his face, Liam felt shame for suspecting Richard of stealing Emily. How could he have ever believed this man who'd taken him as his own child would have crossed him in such a way.

"You're right," Liam shook his head, doubling over with exhaustion, hands on his knees and looking at the honey-colored wooden floor. "I'm just very hungry, I need to hunt." Liam stood straight, feeling as though he could fake composure until he made it a safe distance. "I will talk with you in the morning." He stated with a nod, grasping Richard's shoulder, and then left his greatest friend to be with his only love.

_My love,  
I fear that I have failed you once again. So many years I've searched for you. A never-ending life of loneliness and unfulfilled duty to the only woman I've ever loved. My life has been dedicated to finding your soul and relieving you of the endless revolution and I have done it. Gianna, my love, I have found you! You're a gorgeous young lady, with eyes green as grass in June & wavy hair, much like I remember yours to be, but with a hint of ember red.  
Richard would say I'm not sure, not completely sure because I do not know if you carry Mia's mark. Richard would also say that you're beautiful… as he too is in love with you. I know this is confusing, my love, trust me I have been flipping this around in my brain all night. Not even the pills and brandy have been successful at clearing my thoughts and allowing me to sleep. I just cannot understand how Richard has fallen for Emily. That is your name, Emily. It's not an Italian name, but it's beautiful all the same.  
I am writing you, not to tell you the good news that I hoped I could, but to inform you that I'll have to try again another time. I cannot deceive Richard in this way. He's been a northern star to me throughout my transition from the Liam you knew, to the Liam I am today. When I was first turned, he did all he could to keep me from becoming overwhelmed with bloodlust. He even put himself in danger many times in order to protect me, the young & impulsive vampire that I was.  
I know you're probably growing tired of this life, as I am, but I've found you twice now, I know I can find you a third time. What are the odds that Richard will love the reincarnated version of you twice? Sorry for the humor, I have nothing else at the moment.  
Dawn is beginning to break, my darling. The sunrise is magnificent this morning. I pray that the time will come that we can wake together and lay in one another's arms as we observe the lavendar start of a new day. Until then, I'll continue to write as I have, keeping you updated. I miss you, Gianna… I cannot stop my love for you, with or without a beating heart, I belong to you._

_ Liam _

Liam laid his head on folded arms on top of the worn spiral notebook. He was so tired, sleep had not come easy to him in hundreds of years, and as night was coming to an end, he secretly wished for an end to it all. Man was not supposed to endure this long, he thought to himself.  
Though his body felt young and agile, like that of a 22 year old, his mind had seen more lives than he'd hoped for. So much of it was tragic; in the years he'd spent on the outside, Liam had come to understand that humans were a species of dog eat dog… unforgiving and ungreatful. Vampire's were thought to be evil and demonic, but he'd seen much of those same traits in the everyday human. His thoughts flew back to a simpler time, to when he and Gianna were not lost in a universe of millions of people, but standing right next to one another under a warm spring sun. A tear fell from his eye as he pictured her, smiling as he read to her... unaware of the tragedy of their future.

His cell phone buzzed from the countertop in the kitchen, removing him from Gianna's presence and putting him back into the 22 year old body with the 335 year old conscience.

"Hello?" He answered the unknown number

"Hi, um Liam?" The girls voice was still weak from sleep. Liam glanced at the microwave clock – 6:09am

"Yes."

The girl sighed, "Oh good, this is Marissa! From the other night…"

Liam remembered her taste, like that of a cheap red wine. "Hi, Marissa" His hunger enticed by the memory of a full belly. "How are you?"

"I'm great," She laughed, pleased she was remembered he assumed. "Sorry to call so early, I just wanted to see if you wanted to get together for lunch."

Liam considered if he could wait til lunch to drink, deciding he'd hunt for a small snack before heading to class in order to tide himself. "Yes, I would love too. I am glad you called, but I did not realize we'd exchanged numbers. I am sorry that I did not call but you see I don't think I have your number." He laughed, lightheartedly, hoping to patch up any blemishes he may have caused to his relationship with her – not only because she was a wonderful donor, but secretly because she was close to Emily.

Marissa giggled, "Actually, we didn't – I found your number on the History Staffs website. I swear I'm not a stalker or anything." Her giggled turned to a nervous laugh. She was captivated by his compulsion, he understood – she was not the first to willing turn over her heart to a vampire after experiencing the intimacy of his bite.

"I'm glad you're so resourceful," He turned on his playful charm, his mouth watering for the taste of her blood. "I'm quite anxious to see you again – will 11:30 work for you?"

The morning flew by for Liam – another day of handing out the syllabus and early outs since this was his first meeting with the Tuesday/Thursday classes. By eleven, the rabbit he'd drank from on the way to campus had worn away and he felt as if he were starving. His veins were beginning to pulsate, causing pain to radiate through his muscles. Glancing at his watch and wishing it were nearer to 11:30, he dismissed his class and began to pack us his papers.

Marissa had suggested they meet in the food court and that was fine with Liam since it was only a couple hundred yards from his classroom. Once Marissa ate the awful cafeteria food, they could go to his classroom for some alone time, and Liam would drink from her warm veins. The image of her blood, flowing just beneath her skin was flooding his mind. The throbbing ache on his fangs grew at the thought.

"Liam Apicella!" A deep voice, lush with an Italian accent, echoed throughout the classroom. Liam was immediately taken aback by the presence of a fellow vampire. He nearly crouched into a prone position, ready to attack, but the classroom was not quite empty of his human students and he did not want to cause trouble if it were not necessary. Searching the crowd, he finally laid eyes on the vampire, losing his breath with shock.

Tall, broad, and muscular – the same as he'd been in Roma, with that square face like that of a soldier, Ezio stood at the top of the steps, looking down at Liam with a friendly smile upon his face. Liam could not understand, when he'd last seen Ezio he was a mortal warlock, not a vampire. But there was no denying it, Ezio had the smell of a vampire just as he and Richard did. It was not something humans could detect, but was more of a survival trait for vampires and werewolves. The scent had always reminded Liam of the smell of a library filled with old books.

"Ezio?" Liam unknowingly fell into his accent. "How can it be?"

He laughed as he came down the stairs, as if he'd heard a very funny joke. Liam assumed that he must have found Liam's shock humorous. "Liam, my brother, you have not changed at all."

As he came closer, Liam picked up the scent of fresh blood and noticed the whites of Ezio's eyes were the slightest shade of pink – the way a vampire looks when he's been well fed. "I cannot say the same of you, Ezio"

Ezio's aura was threatening. Menacing, like a wild dog that was always on the brink of attack. Though he was acting as if he were a friend, the animal instinct within Liam could tell that this was no friendly visit after three centuries. The way he stood, slightly off center with his feet shoulder width apart and shoulders pulled back. Even the placement of his hands on his hips told Liam that Ezio was no friend of his, atleast not any longer.

"You seem to be surprised. Did Richard not tell you that he," Ezio cleared his throat and spoke softly, "well, he gave me the same gift that he gave you?"

Liam caught himself on the word gift, wondering if that was how Ezio actually saw being a vampire. Liam had always felt it to be more a curse that was merely a means to an end. "No, he failed to mention that." Richard had said nothing of Ezio in the 300+ years that they'd spent together, how he failed to mention that he'd turned him Liam would have to find out.

"Where is that bastard, anyhow?" Ezio laughed aloud again. "He and I need to speak." Liam picked up a bit of anger in Ezio's voice, even though he could tell that Ezio had tried to conceal it.

"oh, what of?" Liam questioned

"Never you mind, Liam" Ezio smiled a threatening smile and placed his heavy hand on Liam's shoulder in a display of superiority. Instinctually, Liam imagined ripping Ezio's arm from his torso, but he calmed himself. "Just let him know that I need to speak with him, he knows how to contact me."

A door opened and they both turned to see Marissa, wearing a light blue sun dress and expelling an intoxicating scent of hot, flowing blood. "Hi, sorry to interrupt." Marissa smiled, suddenly aware that the two men in front of her were in the middle of what appeared to be a serious conversation.

"Marissa, I'll be out in a moment." Liam stated, hoping to get her to leave as he could tell Ezio was eying her. She started to leave, but Ezio called out to her.

"No no, my love" He walked to her and extended his hand. "My name is Ezio Gnocceli, a childhood friend of Liam's, you are not interrupting, please come in" He kissed her hand gently, lingering longer than Liam liked. Marissa meant nothing to Liam, but he could tell that Ezio was not the type of vampire to only drink enough to end his thirst & Liam did not want to see anyone get killed.

"Oh wow, you're accent is beautiful!" Marissa giggled as he gently pulled her further into the classroom.

"Thank you" He nearly hissed, cutting his eyes to Liam, "Is she yours?"

Liam tensed, ready to protect her, but knowing that he would not be as strong as Ezio – a very well nourished vampire. "She is a friend of mine." He glared at Ezio who stared right back.

"Then she is up for the taking?" He questioned, beginning to circle her. Marissa had no idea what kind of danger she was in, alone with two vampires. However, she was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable from the way Ezio was looking at her and the obvious tension between the two men.

"No."

Ezio laughed, "No?" He raised his eyebrows. "Don't tell me the rumors I've heard are true… you and Richard are some new aged breed… a friend to the humans?"

"Humans?" Marissa voice cracked as she looked to Liam for help.

"Ezio, she is a friend, I do not want her hurt." Liam quickly stepped in front of her body. Marissa clung to his back.

With a deep sigh, Ezio laughed lightheartedly once again. "Yes yes Liam… I can find another, do not worry." He turned and began up the stairs to exit from the same door he'd come in. "Be sure to tell Richard that I visited."

Liam listened to Ezio's footsteps as he left the classroom and continued further and further away until he could no longer pick them up, only the rush of Marissa's pumping blood as her heart beat wildly with fear. Turning in his spot, he pulled Marissa to him. She was shaking in panic and crying a bit.

"It's okay, you're safe."

"What?" She gasp, pushing her hair behind her ears and tightly crossing her arms in front of her chest. "What was that about? Humans?"

"Calm down, it was nothing." Liam stayed cool headed, even though he was on fire with rage; wanting nothing more than to hunt Ezio down and tear him to pieces.

"Who was that?" Marissa's breath was slowing to its more regular rhythm, Liam noticed – he cupped her face in his hands and looked into her eyes.

Once her stare met his and her pupils dilated, letting him know that his compulsion connection had been successful, Liam spoke softly. "You came here for lunch and I was alone in the classroom, you had to wait on me to finish packing up my things, but now I am ready to go and you're not scared and you don't remember meeting my friend or what was said."

Blinking to end the compulsion, Marissa followed in suit then smiled brightly, "I'm starving! Are you ready?"

Liam sighed in relief – even after all these years, the talent of compulsion was one he was always surprised by. "Yes, I am." He put the messenger bags leather strap over his head, and then gently placed his hand on Marissa's lower back as a way to direct her towards the door. "I am starving as well."

Liam watched the crowds come and go from the cafeteria while Marissa ate a salad and chatted away about her classes and reruns of Sex and the City. Snacking on a deli sandwich in order to curb his appetite for a bit longer, he tried to pay attention to his companion, but the run in with Ezio and the sheer surprise had his mind in other places. How could Richard have kept his changing of Ezio secret? Why would he want to? Ezio said Richard would know how to contact him, so they must have been in contact all along? This, along with the Emily situation, was causing Liam's trust in Richard to falter a bit. He wondered if Richard was as good as a friend as he'd once considered him. While mindlessly staring at the wooden table in front of him and partially hearing Marissa's one sided conversation, his senses were suddenly filled with the scent of lemon and vanilla –  
"Hey, there's Emily!"

Quicker than he should have, more the speed of a vampire than a human, Liam stood from his chair and turned to see Emily walking towards them. Her beauty seemed to catch him off guard; the way her hair fell around her lightly tanned face from a loose, low pony tail, and how the teal vneck, dress hugged her body, sleeveless arms swaying back and forth in rhythm with the swing of her hips. When her eyes found his, he could see that she was a bit less than happy to see him.

"Hey Em" Marissa smiled, so proud to be anywhere with Liam. She grinned at her friend and raised her eyebrows as she quickly pointed at Liam without him seeing.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" She reached her hand out for Marissa, never looking at Liam, her coldness hurt him but then again, she wasn't exactly warm at Richard's apartment.

"Can we talk later? I'm kinda busy right now" She nodded at Liam, who sat back down in his seat, full of defeat.

Emily rolled her eyes, then glanced at Liam – her cold green eyes nearly cut him. "I see that, and that's what I wanted to talk with you about…" she spoke as if there were a hidden meaning, intriguing Liam.

"What is there to discuss?" Liam asked, suddenly a bit perturbed by Emily's tone of voice.

"That is between Marissa and I, thank you."

He smiled politely, "You're quite welcome to your privacy, but it seems as though whatever it is you'd like to talk to her about has to do with me, so it seems like the polite thing to do would be include me in the conversation."

They glared at each other for a moment; once again Emily was bothered by just how good looking he was, like a romance novel. Tension was building between the two, the source of it not only aggravation with one another, but a deep attraction that Emily could not explain.

"OH geez!" Marissa sighed, "Emily sit down, this is ridiculous!" She turned towards Liam, and placed her hands on his resting on the table top. The sight of Marissa touching Liam in such an intimate way sent a wave of envy through Emily. "Look, my girlfriends are a bit afraid that you're a bit of a womanizer…"

Liam sat up straight, his brow furrowing with confusion – never in the three centuries that he'd lived had anyone accused him of being a womanizer. He had always considered himself a gentleman, old worldly and chivalrous even. Marissa could tell that he was surprised, so she continued.

"I don't know how they got that idea, but they just don't know you, ya know."

Liam turned his head towards Emily – "You think **I** was playing **you**?" he asked, staring into her green eyes and suddenly understanding why she'd been so cold just hours after they time at Halston's.

Emily could see he was sincere, but half of her heart wanted to believe him while the other half reminded her that he was here with Marissa, he spent some pretty serious time with Marissa in his car!

"No, I don't think that." Marissa caressed his hand, misunderstanding who his was speaking too, obviously unaware of the time he'd spent with Emily. He looked at Marissa again, "I mean, I kind of thought that until you told me that you didn't have my number or anything! I hope you aren't angry with me."

Emily could see his jaw clench as she looked at his profile, his anger made her a bit uncomfortable – what he'd just said was meant for her, she knew, and also understood that his anger belonged to her as well. "No, I am not angry with you at all, Marissa." He stood, took a quick look at Emily and then added "You've been nothing but honest with me, and that is all I could ever ask for." He pulled her up from her seat, "Let's get out of here."

Emily sat in the seat across him and watched as he picked up his bag and Marissa's, nodded a goodbye to her, and they left, his hand resting gently on Marissa's lower back – envy coursed through her like a poison. She wanted to call to him, apologize for the way she acted at Richards, but her ego got the best of her and she had to pull her eyes away from the sight of the young couple leaving her at the table. She'd never considered herself to be possessive, or been one to fight with other girls over a guy, but something about Liam caused her to consider ways to sabotage Marissa's relationship with him. Shaking her head as if to clear her mind of the terrible thoughts, she silently berated herself for allowing herself to think in such a way. Yet, in the back of her mind she was secretly panicked at the idea of what he and Marissa were going to do together… the images of him touching her, kissing Marissa the way he'd kissed her made Emily's chest tighten and a knot developed in her gut.

"And you are sure that you do not want to come over tonight, darling?" Richard asked through the cell phone. Emily spent the rest of the afternoon in class, then a couple hours in the library – all of while her mind was running wild with thoughts of Liam, Liam and Marissa, to be exact. After returning to her dorm just after dark, it seemed as if all the callous thoughts she'd been struggling with had taken a toll on her and she was exhausted.

"I'm sure, Richard." She looked in the bathroom mirror, using a warm, damp cloth to remove her makeup. "I think I'm going to go to bed early. Get some rest, you know?"

"Well okay, then we'll speak tomorrow?"

"Yea, I'll call you after class."

"Oh that's right, you have Liam's class tomorrow, right?" Richard's voice seemed excited. The way Liam left after Richard "introduced" them had really bothered Richard, Emily knew. He'd mentioned more than once in the last couple of days that he'd most likely lighten up after Liam got to know her, and being in his class would help. Emily could not help but feel a vast amount of guilt about Richard's turmoil with Liam… Liam already got to know her, more than Richard knew. "I'll talk with him tonight about giving you another chance."

"Tonight?" Emily suddenly felt a twinkle of happiness that Liam was not spending his entire evening with Marissa.

"Yes, he's coming over for a drink. I'll talk with him about us, he'll understand, I am sure of it. Liam is a very honorable young man. As for his performance the other night, he may have just been weary from his first day of classes."

"Well, do you think I should come over too?" Emily hated that she wanted to see Liam so badly, but she couldn't fight it, not with how their last encounter had ended.

"Oh no, my darling. Get some rest tonight; I can handle my dear, Liam. I have for many years." He chuckled to himself. Emily was about to protest, begin to rattle off how it would be beneficial for her to be there with Richard and Liam in order to help "patch things up", but she heard Marissa's voice from the common room and her curiosity began to rule her thoughts.

"Okay, I will. Bye." She hung up quite abruptly, leaving Richard a bit confused on the other end. But she was not concerned with Richard, he would understand – that was just his way. At that moment, she had to know what had gone on with Liam and Marissa.

"I thought I heard you come in" Emily smiled as she entered the living room, trying her best to seem carefree as took a seat next to Marissa.

Marissa smiled and held a finger up to Emily, turning her head just enough for Emily to see that she was on her cell phone – a mischievous smile upon her face.

"Okay, that sounds good." Marissa made her eyes big in an expression of excitement towards Emily. "Yep, see you then. Oh and thanks for dinner."

They had lunch & dinner? – Emily's heart sank a bit

"Oh my gosh, Emily!" Marissa squealed, tossing her cell phone on the couch cushion next to her. "have you heard the expression 'when it rains, it pours'?"

Emily kept smiling, doing her best to push through the envy she felt for the attention Marissa was getting from Liam. "Wow, so he took you to dinner too? You must be really hitting it off with Liam!"

Marissa giggled, "We are! But no, that was Liam's friend from Italy, Ezio." Emily suddenly felt her heart lift off the floor just a little, enough to breath a bit easier. "He's so hot, Em!"

"What about Liam? I thought you were head over heels for him."

"Don't get me wrong, Liam is great, but Ezio…" She said his name in three syllables (EHT-Z-O), as if he were a decadent dessert, "he is incredible! So wild and really affectionate."

"So you like Ezio, then? More than Liam?" Emily could hardly contain herself.

"Wait now, I never said that!" Marissa grabbed Emily's hands. "Ezio says he thinks Liam just wants to be friends with me, so he doesn't feel guilty about pursuing me… but I'm not so sure, so I say, why not have my cake and eat it too?"

"So you're going to get with them both?" Suddenly a bit repulsed, Emily sat back.

"So far I've only got with Ezio!" Marissa squealed, "and he's… indescribable. But I can't help but feel like Liam could probably give him a run for his money. With that lean, slim body, and his gorgeous face…"

Emily understood completely, Liam was the most handsome man she'd ever laid her eyes upon – real life, fiction, celebrities… no one compared to his deep blue eyes, messy hair, and chiseled & strong body. But she'd never play two guys at once, especially friends. She started to debate with Marissa, to try to explain to her that she couldn't do that. That it might ruin Liam and Ezio's friendship, that Marissa should have more respect for herself than that, but just before she opened her mouth with her first point, she remembered Richard. She remembered the breathtaking kiss she'd shared with Liam only hours before Richard and Liam's fallout. She remembered the way she'd been extra touchy with Richard while Liam sat across from them, the way she played up her relationship only to get a dig in at Liam. Sure she'd been upset with him – had thought that he was no more than a womanizer – but she still did it. She still played Liam against Richard, she was still lying to Richard by not telling him that she'd met Liam already, and that they'd went out for dinner… that they'd kissed.

Liam entered Richard's apartment hungry and already upset with Richard for the Ezio situation, the lingering smell of whatever made Emily smell of lemon and vanilla, mixed with Richard's cigar smoke filled his nostrils. He'd had a rough day and even though he had every chance to, he did not feed from Marissa. He simply walked with her back to his classroom – she continued to talk about things that were of interest to her while Liam did his best to listen. When his next class began to file into the room, she tried to give him a parting kiss – he dodged her quickly and gave a hug goodbye instead. It had been many hours since his morning snack and before he started with Richard, he'd have to finish a bag of donor blood first he decided and went into the guest room without hesitation. He could hear Richard talking, so he called out to him "It's me. I'm getting a drink, Richard." Just as he grasp one of the cool plastic bags of ruby liquid, the hair on is neck stood on end, causing his body to tense.

"Twice in one day…" Ezio was standing in the door way to the hall, "after three centuries! It's got to be fate, wouldn't you think?"

Liam turned in his spot, now facing Ezio he wasted no time in pulling off the plastic tab and sucking in mouthfuls of the cool, thick blood of life. If he were to fight Ezio, he wouldn't do it hungry.

They stood 10 feet apart – staring at one another, nearly daring the other to make a move. The tension between the two was as thick as river mud and Richard could sense it the moment he came into their presence.

"Boys, is there a problem?" Richard looked to Liam who was finishing the blood, lips stained red from his meal and nearly snarling at Ezio.

"Oh no, Richard, do not worry. Liam and I are friends, right Liam." He said his words like a commandment , not a question. Liam wondered why Richard was allowing Ezio to be so threatening – yes he was being passive aggressive about it, but there was no doubt that Ezio was no friend to Liam.

"Seriously?" Liam nearly yelled at Richard, already frustrated with him over not telling him about Ezio and the whole Emily situation, allowing Ezio to act in this manor was trying his patience. "No, we are not friends, I don't even know you!"

"Liam!" Richard scolded, taken aback by his attitude.

Ezio stepped into the room, his large body seeming to take up most of the space. Liam took a step towards him, turning his body sideways, ready to fight. "You do not know me, you are right about that." His voice was nearly a growl as he spoke to Liam, looming over him as Ezio was at least 6 inches taller. "I suggest you learn a bit more about your opponent prior to considering a strike. I am no commonplace vampire, Liam, and I wouldn't even flinch while pulling your heart from your chest."

"Okay you two, enough of this!" Richard stepped in between his two vampires. "You stay here Liam, I'll walk Ezio out."

"I was leaving, wasn't I?" He smiled at Richard, "Are you expecting that beautiful human of yours?" He cut his eyes at Liam, as if he knew the turmoil Liam felt about Emily. "What was her name again, Rich?"

"Her name is Emily, and no, she is not coming over." Richard lightly placed his hand on Ezio's shoulder, turning them both towards the door and starting out of the room, "but I need some time with Liam here…"

"My friend, I understand." Ezio and Richard shook hands and exited the room, allowing Liam to relax a bit. "Oh Liam," Ezio leaned around the door frame, "you're human is quite the talker, huh?" Liam heard his words, but was quite confused as Marissa did not say much at all while Ezio basically taunted her in his classroom before their lunch date. "Oh, she didn't tell you? We had ourselves a delectable meal this evening." He licked his lips and gave a wry smile. "You take care now."

His rage was suddenly replaced with fear for Emily. Marissa may be laying dead in some ally and Liam could not allow Emily to be next. Whether he was to be with her or not, he would keep her safe. As Richard sent off his new friend, Liam sat on the feather bed that sat in front of the deep freeze and took his phone from his pocket.

_Where are you?_

_Emily: Y?_

_Just answer me._

_Emily: I'm in my dorm room. Y?_

_Meet me outside of Halston's in half an hour?_

_Emily: This isn't a good idea…_

_You're right, I'll come to you. Don't answer your door for anyone else but me, ok?_

_Emily: Is something wrong? What are you talking about?_

_Just trust me._

"What was all of that about, Liam? This is twice now that you've been incredibly disrespectful to my friends." As Richard spoke, Liam stood, slipped the phone into his back pocket and began out of the bedroom. "Liam?"

"Richard, I apologize, but he is not my friend, nor yours. I do not understand how you don't see that. Or how you neglected to tell me that you changed him!" Liam grabbed the door knob to exit Richard's apartment, but stopped. "And if you are so in love with Emily, when are you going to tell her that you're about 500 years her senior?"

"Liam, I am growing tired of your attitude. You are no teenaged vampire and I won't have you speaking to me this way."

"All I'm saying is, unless she's cool with you being an undead old man that lives on blood… you'd better start planning an exit strategy."

Richard sighed deeply, and then crossed his arms in front of his chest, "Or I could turn her."

"Richard!"

"We are in love, Liam… it may be exactly what she wants when she find out about me."

"Richard, please do not even consider this life for her… would you have chosen this for yourself if you'd had the chance to decide?"

"You did."

"And every day I wish I would've never allowed Gianna to leave our home… had I been a man and put my foot down, I would not be a vicious monster and she would not be spending an eternity in purgatory."

"So what are you suggesting I do, then Liam – you of all people!? Forget that I love her?" Richard countered.

Liam opened the door as he turned towards his friend. "I am suggesting exactly that; If you truly love her, do not curse her to this life. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the ones you love."

Lightly knocking on Marissa & Nicole's bedroom door, Emily called to her friend "Marissa? Marissa, are you awake?"  
With no answer, Emily opened the door to see Marissa asleep on top of her neon green bedspread, still wearing the sundress & kitten heel sandals and holding a water glass in her hand. Emily quietly went to the bedside and took the glass from her sleeping friend, setting it on the bedside table that separated the two twin beds. This room was an exact mirror image of the room she shared with Whitney on the other side of the common room – luckily, Emily smiled as she looked around Marissa's bedroom and took in the childish décor' and very bright colors, Whitney shared the same type of decorating styles as she did. Their room was decorated with mostly earthy tones, with a few pieces of lavender here and there, and a large poster of a shirtless Usher to the left of Whitney's closet. Emily only had a few pictures of her family in silver and bronze frames. No half naked men, no posters of bands or actors; until Liam she'd never felt obsessed about any guy.

For her, high school wasn't like what they showed on teen-targeted television shows – in order to keep her GPA at the required level, 3.7 and above, Emily spent her free time studying and working ahead. Her family was not well off, so she had a part-time job delivering newspapers in the early morning hours before school. The income she brought in helped pay for her first car & cheerleading camps and uniforms. Dating was not an extra-curricular activity that she had time for, though she had dated a couple of guys without much of a spark. For as long as she could remember she'd been an avid reader of any kind of book she could get her hands on, but especially love stories – her favorites being _.

The stories in the novels that she read lead her to believe that there was something more for her than a quick hook up in the backseat of someones parents car. Therefore, when she met Richard and he recited Shakespeare's sonnet's and spoke in a way that no other man ever had, his French accent highlighting the words that fell from his lips, Emily was hooked. Richard was so intelligent and deep, thoughtful and kind, it was hard for her to fight the attraction they shared. Even now, she thought, telling her parents was not an option. No matter how great he was, he was still in a superior position at Yale & quite a bit older – her parents would never approve of their relationship. That's a lot of the reason why she had not allowed herself to give herself to him, sexually. Still a virgin, Emily seemed to struggle to find the right time with Richard, though he'd been very understanding, she sometimes feared that her apprehension was causing him to resent her a bit. Now with Liam in the picture and the mischievous thoughts that he brought to her mind, she was feeling even guiltier. The only person who knew about her secret attraction to Liam was Whitney, and she suggested that it was just raging hormones – saying that having sex with Richard would probably ease up Liam's appeal - Emily wasn't so sure.

She'd gone to Marissa to let her know Liam was on his way, but since she was in such a deep sleep, Emily left her friend to rest and headed to the bathroom to primp a bit. When she got back from her last class, she had removed all of her makeup and put on a white tank top and Whitney's gray Capri sweat pants for a night of studying – this outfit would not do, she smiled as she looked back at herself in the bathroom mirror before grabbing her toothbrush. Secretly, she was thrilled that Marissa was asleep and that Liam's visit would be with her alone. His messages were a bit cryptic, Emily thought as she looked through her closet, but that was Liam – very secretive and mysterious. Just as she began to imagine their kiss, a knock at the door pulled her back into reality.

"That was fast." She smiled as she opened the door.

"Can I come in?" Liam returned her smile, his eyes quickly running down her body. Emily could tell that he was pleased with her appearance even in the sweats and tank top.

"Yea, come in" They walked into the common area. "You're messages had me worried, is everything ok?"

"Is Marissa here?" Liam walked to the windows, peering out each one for a moment, then checking their locks. "Are you alone?"

"Um, no." Emily felt a bit scared by the way he was acting. "I mean, yea she's here and no I'm not alone. Why?"

Liam came closer to her and lowered his voice, "Can she hear us?"

Emily looked at him with a confused expression – _was he hiding his meeting with her from Marissa? Was she the __**other girl**__?_  
Realizing that Emily was a bit puzzled by his strange behavior, Liam took her hand and pulled her into the bedroom off to the left of the common room. The door was open and it smelled like Emily, he was pleased to see her room was so pleasant.

"Liam!" She gasp, pulling her hand back. Liam closed the door behind them, "Look, I'm not hiding this from Marissa, so if that's what you…"

"Did you meet Ezio?"

Emily felt bad for Liam, he knew that Marissa had gone out with his friend, but she would not be his revenge on Marissa. "No, but Marissa told me about their dinner. I don't feel comfortable talking abo-"

"He's very dangerous, Emily." She turned her head to the side, sitting on the foot of her bed and looking up at him, waiting for him to laugh or tell her that he was just kidding.

"Dangerous? I thought you were friends…"

"We haven't been friends in a very long time." He squatted down in front of her, placing his hands on each side of her hips, allowing his thumbs to touch her body ever so slightly. "And even then I didn't know him very well."

"What do you mean, dangerous? Like he drives too fast or uses drugs?" His voice had already told her it was much worse than that, but she needed to hear him say it.

He shook his head, "Just trust me – you don't want to invite him in and if you happen to run into him on campus or something, you need to call me immediately."

"What about Marissa? Does Richard know?" Emily placed her hand over her mouth, as if she were afraid that the terrible thoughts that ran through her brain may work their way to her lips & become reality.

"Em, I don't know what to tell you about Richard." Standing, his name making Liam suddenly aware of how close he had been to Emily, to Richard's girlfriend. "He's known Ezio about as long as I have, but they seem to be quite a bit closer than I'd known."

"And he knows about…" Emily swallowed, unsure how to put it. "about how Ezio is?"

Liam began to speak, but his senses were on edge and he felt as if someone was near. "Stay here." Liam whispered to Emily, and then stepped out of her bedroom, pulling the door almost closed behind him.

The common room was the same, the windows and doors exiting the room all closed – what was he feeling, something was wrong. Liam went to the door directly across from Emily's room and opened the door a bit, peering through the tiny opening. Marissa was asleep still and appeared to be unharmed so he closed the door. Turning to inspect the small apartment, his eyes fell on Emily who was standing in the doorway to her room, holding onto the knob and the door frame in a fearful way.

Emily was stunning. It had been so many years since Liam had felt true desire for a woman, but there in that moment all of his anger towards Richard, all the confusion, all the rage he held for Ezio, all the burning desire that he felt for the taste of blood came together in one huge, rushing emotion – lust. Emily felt his desire for her through his gaze and she bathed in his want – standing straighter, tilting her head down a bit and adding a slight arch to her back. "Is everything okay?" She asked quietly, looking at him through her eye lashes.

Liam moved towards her, his eyes moving slowly across her body. She took a step backwards into her room as he continued to close the space between them, closing the door when they were both in her room. He wasted no time in taking her in his arms – the warmth of her skin nearly burned him. Emily placed her hands on each side of his face. She wanted to experience his kiss again and was desperate to make it happen. They stood together, in each others arms; Liam's hands traveling down the small of her back, sliding across her hips, then back up again.

Emily stood on her tip-toes and placed a soft kiss on the side of his mouth, nearly sending Liam's self-control off the edge. Turning his face towards hers, Emily saw his furrowed brow and understood that Liam was in a difficult place – he shared the same feelings that she had for him, but he also felt a certain commitment to Richard; the conflicting emotions seemed to be physically painful for him.

"I'm sorry that you're hurting…" she sighed, kissing his lips and pressing her body against his – he squeezed her against his chest, his hands beginning to slip beneath the cotton tank top. Feeling his fingertips touch her bare back made her shiver. Never had she wanted someone so badly. She kissed him again, lingering longer as he parted his lips to envelope her bottom lip. "Whitney will be back soon. I can come over." Emily offered

Liam kissed her once more, this time more quickly – a goodbye kiss, she realized. "We can't do this, Emily." Liam stepped away from her, looking at the floor and shoving his hands in his pockets as if to imprison them before they took him over.

"But Liam, I can't not do this." Honesty fell from her mouth in a way it never had before. She was not one to share her feelings in such an exposed way. "I don't know what it is, what this is… but I know you feel it too."

Liam looked back at her, a genuine smile crossed his face – he was thrilled, elated, overjoyed - Emily felt their connection. For a moment, he considered telling her everything. Explaining to her that what she felt was 300 years of undying love, she was feeling the connection of soulmates! But the thought of Richard was floating through his mind, keeping him from being able to truly enjoy the bittersweet moment.

"I do…" He replied – no matter what he could not deny that he was in love with her.

Emily walked into his arms again, "Then let's not fight this, let's see what happens, Liam."

"Do you love Richard?" His name was like a dagger, tearing apart the sexual tension. Shredding the tangible feelings of love. Looking up at Liam's stormy blue eyes, unable to respond, the truth of the matter was uncovered – she and Richard were in love, and Liam was a bystander that should she have met first, could have been the greatest love of her life… but now he was leaving her in her dorm room with eyes full of tears and a heart breaking deeper and deeper with every step he took.

It took every ounce of honor he had to turn his body and leave her standing there, wanting him the way that she was. Liam took the stairs and ran down 11 flights, doing his best to burn off the emotions that were begging his body to turn around and pick up right where he and Emily had left off. Entering the first floor, Liam took in a deep breath of blood-scented air – something was wrong, running from the hallway that held the stairwell door & a couple of closets, the smell grew stronger. When he turned from the hall into the common room, he found Ezio sitting on one of the large yellow ottomans – his face flushed and a great smile exposing his bloody fangs – at his feet were the drained bodies of his two victims.

"Liam, my friend!" He stood, body full of human blood and muscles ready to pounce, "you should've told me you were coming, I could've saved you some."

"What are you doing here?" Liam's fangs protruded from his gums and his eyes went nearly black – he too was ready for a fight.

"Well, I was hungry you see." Ezio chuckled, "and I cannot help but wonder what a supernatural human's blood would be like on my tongue."

Liam didn't understand – supernatural?

"Young Emily, Richard's girlfriend… is she the reincarnated one?" He laughed again as he kicked a lifeless arm from his feet and took a couple steps towards Liam. "I guess you're being in her dorm room at such a late hour answers that question, now doesn't it. Poor Richard, does he know you're sneaking behind his back? You must be tired from your little rendezvous… are you sure you want to pursue me while in such a diminished state?"

Liam matched his steps, now only a few yards from a strong, well fed enemy. "Nothing happened between she and I. I only came to make sure she was safe from you."

"Ohh, good instincts. Unlike that delirious Richard!" Ezio began to pace a large circle around Liam, "my God, can he not tell that I'm here to kill you three?"

"Why?" Liam wanted to ask more questions, find out how he knew about Emily, but he felt that keeping his questions under wraps would be best – appearing weak both in body and knowledge was not a good place to be.

"Why not!?" Ezio laughed aloud, finally wiping at his bloody lips. "I mean, human blood is one thing, but to drain a body that holds an ancient Wiccan spell… now that's an experience! You and Richard led me to her, and now you're just in the way."

"Collateral damage?" Liam questioned, using his peripheral vision in hopes of finding something wooden to break and use as a stake. Most of the furniture was made of metal tubing, less the pool table, but that would not be quick to access as it was far away and cumbersome to break.

"You could say that." Ezio's expression changed from the malicious smile to a look of wickedness. As quick as lightening he was standing directly in front of Liam, once again the difference in height and size was evident. "But it's too soon, my friend. I'd rather play a bit longer." Raising his left hand and placing it directly in front of Liam's chest, Ezio closed his eyes and said a word in what sounded like Latin that Liam could not comprehend. In less than a second Liam's lungs felt as if they were being crushed. The pain was excruciating, forcing Liam to his knees as he clutched at his chest. "Do not forget, Liam – I am not your ordinary vampire, so don't get any bright ideas." After only 30 seconds, but what felt like an eternity to Liam, Ezio dropped his hand and the agonizing pain fading away. He squatted in front of Liam. "That was just a teaser… you will not get in my way." Ezio laughed as he stood and walked out of the building's lobby, leaving Liam to clean up the two dead humans.

A loud clap of thunder startled Emily, her heavy eyelids quickly opening from their slumber. There was hardly any light coming through the sheer plum curtains, it could have easily still been dark outside; the red block numbers from her digital alarm clock read 7:44am.  
How long had it been since she'd actually cried herself to sleep? Maybe never, Emily thought. Though there was no denying it now – her body ached from the fitful crying spells she'd endured the night prior. When Liam left her cold & alone the tears fell freely and quickly down her cheeks. In the morning light, she felt a bit silly for letting herself go as she had, but in the moment there was no controlling it. Loving Richard was equivalent to the love one would carry for a friend or a pet, but the love she had for Liam ran deeply through her body, encompassing every vein, every nerve ending. Yet, no matter how petty the love she had for Richard was, Liam would not betray his friend, and the hurt Emily felt from his denial was intense and overwhelming.

With 45 minutes until her first class, then Liam's class directly after, Emily's first instinct was to stay in bed – ride out the storm beneath her white, down comforter. But the student within her told her that it was a bad idea. It would be first true day of curriculum for her classes, and even though she hated to admit it, seeing Liam would probably be the highlight of her day. Immediately she wondered if his eyes would be highlighted by the early autumn storm that was covering the campus the way some people could wear a complimenting color; the thought made her smile & gave her the energy to head to the shower to begin her day.

Choosing a pair of midrise dark jeans & layering a pale yellow tank top under a gray ¾ sleeved cotton tee, then allowing her long hair to fall freely down her back, Emily felt as if she looked appropriate for the day – casual and conservative according to the weather, with a hint of sex appeal added by the unfastened 3 snap v neck of the top and the contrast of her wavy auburn hair. Never much for make up, Emily used a tinted moisturizer, brown eye liner, mascara, and touch of peach-tinted lip gloss. If she was going to be composed with Liam, the least she could do is drag out his wanting her – the thought of his callused hands on the skin of her back made her shiver just as another clap of thunder shook the windows of her bedroom. The clock read 8:02a; 13 minutes til her first class. Emily grabbed her bag as she headed out the door, sending up a silent prayer that her crying fit would not begin again the moment she laid eyes on his beautiful face.

Her first class was going to be enjoyable, she thought, skimming through the 400+ pages of The Historical Review of Greek & Roman Art & Architecture. For most of her classmates, this was an Art History elective, but for Emily, this was one of the first core classes of her Art History & Restoration degree. Professor Wiese seemed to be as enthusiastic about the curriculum as she was, lecturing on the sexual nature of Greek & Roman art and flipping through a PowerPoint presentation of sculptures and paintings – mostly of plump women in graceful positions exposing their breasts, thighs, stomach, or back, or of detailed portraits of soldiers and their slim, muscular structure. Her fellow classmates were acting a bit rowdy, many of the groups of guys whistling at the half naked women as if it were nothing more than a Playboy spread. Emily continued to look through her book, ignoring the quiet heckling.

"Was that a tattoo?" One of the male students called out, interrupting Professor Wiese's lecture. Emily looked up from her book to see yet another half naked woman feeding grapes to a scantily clad male figure. "Go back a couple." The male student instructed.

"Why, yes it was!" Professor Wiese smiled, as if he were proud that one of the crude guys in his class was atleast paying attention. "Actually, " he clicked back 3 photographs, "this is one of the very first depictions of tattoo art in Roman history."

The painting was dark, of a man standing in what looked like a large doorway, facing away from the painter, arms outstretched as if on a cross, his hands resting on wooden beams at the far edges of the painting. Wavy, unkept brown hair hung in strings just below the man's collar bone. His back was lit by a very dull light, probably candlelight, casting shadows across each muscle in his back and arms. The tattoo was of a large, vine-woven cross that began just below his neck, all the way to his lower back, and stretched across his shoulder blades, ending about an inch past his elbows.

"It's painter is unknown, most likely one of the few female painters in 19th century Rome."

"Who's the dude?" The same student asked

"Also unknown," Professor Wiese responded, "without a face or even an artist to question, the only identifying mark is the scar on the right side of his torso. Most assume he was a Roman Soldier, the artist most likely a bath house woman."

A guy sitting two seats down from Emily laughed to himself as he leaned towards Emily & whispered, "Or the painter was a gay dude!" He waited for her to laugh, but Emily rolled her eyes – making a mental note to not sit by this guy again, but wondering if any of the others in her class would be any better.

Something about the man in the painting felt familiar, "and the detail of the muscles and shadows are quite sexual in nature," Professor Weise continued, "not heard of from female artists for quite a few decades."  
Glancing at her cell phone for the time, then closing her book and slipping it in her bag – 20 minutes until she would be face to face with Liam.

_Despite my best efforts, I found it excruciating not to apologize to Emily. I so wanted to tell her how much I regretting leaving her in her dorm that way, but when she came in for class this morning, I basically ignored her. The first day of real curriculum covered the original sin of Adam and Eve. Got to say, it was hard not to compare myself to the serpent. There was Emily, innocently twirling her hair around her fingers as she took note s – apparently not at all bothered by my presence, all the while my mind was filled with thoughts that belong in the brain of a hormone-crazed boy, not a well-aged vampire such as myself. Gianna or not, she is not my girlfriend – worse yet, she is the girlfriend of my only friend. Allowing myself to carry on with the thoughts of her body and the taste of her kiss only secures my position as the serpent in this story.  
Other than the hour I spent spewing out historical data while truly my mind was back in her dorm room, the day went fine. I'm pretty confident that my clean up job in the lobby after the meet up with Ezio was sufficient. I doubt that anyone will find the bodies, at least not before they've decomposed in elements of fall. Thus far, no alerts have been released on campus, but I'm expecting at least a missing persons report in the next few days. Once the families have a couple of days trying unsuccessfully to get in touch, they'll contact the local police. By the time any search parties are concocted and marched out to the marshes, all signs of foul play via vampire will be worn away.  
On a second note, I'm beginning to wonder about Richard, again. I hate to admit that these doubts about him keep rising to the surface, but how else can I explain his nonchalant attitude regarding my encounter with Ezio last night? Richards explanation – Ezio is a wild soul, an untrained vampire who can't control his urges and is undeniably territorial. Okay, sure… but technically this territory belongs to Richard and I. After that lowkey response, I didn't even bother mentioning the threat of killing us… what's the point, he's going to rationalize it some way or another. Can't help but wonder if he's in on it; maybe he too is interested in draining the blood of a body carrying an ancient curse.  
Over my dead body._

Liam placed the spiral notebook into his leather satchel as early signs of rain began to fall upon the windshield of his car. He'd decided that he needed more information before he could truly connect Richard with Ezio, before moving on to a plan that would consist of killing Ezio and any other accomplices that may be working with him. Parked outside of the Richard's apartment building, arguably the nicest neighborhood in New Haven, the smell of coffee billowing out from the entrance of the corner Starbucks was soothing to Liam. He felt as if he chose a spot far enough away to be inconspicuous, but still close enough to prove to be a good reconnaissance location. A good forty-five minutes in and there was nothing going on – no secret meetings with Ezio, no cautious exits by Richard. He'd got home about 10 minutes after Liam had taken his stake-out position, and after checking the mail and talking with the elderly landlady, Richard went to his apartment and has been there ever since. The rattling of Liam's cell phone in the cup holder broke the silence in the car.

_Emily: Where are you?  
:y? is everything ok?  
Emily: Yes, fine. Are you at a coffee shop?_

Taken by surprise, Liam looked out of the windows of his car at the passer-by'ers, then into the large window of the coffee shop. Immediately, his eyes fell upon Emily, standing at a tall two-seater table, two Venti coffees on the table and her eyes directly on his.

_:Yes, I am. You look beautiful today._ Instantly, Liam regretting sending the message – once again crossing a boundary – that is until he saw how Emily's face lit up while reading his text. Smiling at him through the glass, he could almost feel the warmth of her body.

_Emily: Thx __J_  
_Emily: RU here with anyone?  
:No, u?  
Emily: Come in, I'm alone and I have an extra coffee._

"How did you manage an 'extra coffee'?" Liam laughed, slipping off his leather jacket with a light shake to knock off the rain drops that had collected on it while trekking from his car to the coffee shop.

"It pays to be beautiful…" She sighed with a laugh, "actually, they made the first one wrong – I do soy." She sat down and crossed her legs, placing the second coffee across from her. "Would you like a half-caff mocha with cow's milk?"

"Yes, thank you! It's getting kind of chilly out this afternoon." Liam sipped the coffee, internally reminding himself that he must not look at the way her cotton top held close to the curve of her torso.

"What's the weather like in Italy at this time?"

"Actually, it's about the same… maybe a bit cooler. The trees have probably mostly turned orange, red, or brown by now, perfect weather for the All Souls day festivals."

"All Souls day?" Emily questioned, resting her head in her hand, elbow on the table.

Liam cleared his throat, something about the way her head was propped on her palm caused the pulsating sound of blood to echo into his ears – the twinge of his fangs reminding him that he was not a young man having coffee with an attractive young woman, but a vampire who was in awfully close proximity to a meal of warm, red, iron-rich liquid.

"It's kind of like Halloween, but with a more spooky feel. No funny or cute costumes…" Liam smiled quickly, unsure if his fangs had protruded enough to be noticeable.

"No candy?"

"Oh yea, plenty of candy and food… and alcohol" Grazing his tongue across the length of his teeth, he felt a bit more comfortable, "but Italians are deeply rooted with the memories of ancestors. All Souls day is a festival of remembrance, as well as a day that allows the dead to walk on earth once more." Though he could see that Emily was truly interested, Liam began to feel as if he'd fallen back into class and was beginning a lecture, so he added, "definitely no sexy nurses or naughty nuns." They laughed together, the chime in her voice resting comfortably in his ears.

"Nicole is trying to get me to be a member of her sexy girls basketball team for Halloween," Emily rolled her eyes at the thought, "guessing it would be a jersey & knee high socks."

"Well, at least you wouldn't have to put much money into it!"

"What about you?" Emily questioned.

"Oh no, no costumes for me." He raised his hands as if he would have nothing to do with Halloween or dressing up.

"Wait, wait, wait…" She laughed, playfully grabbing his hands, "I thought you were a vampire, mean fangs and all?"

He nearly gasp in shock. Not since the evening that he turned Marie Courtierre had anyone so blatantly called him out as a vampire. Richard must have told her everything, most likely leaving out the part about her being Liam's soulmate, Liam thought.

"Do what?" Liam gave his best fake laugh.

"yea, just put those fangs in like you were wearing the other night! They looked so real!" Emily laughed, still holding his hands in hers. Liam quickly relaxed, remembering that when they'd first officially met, he was baring his full fangs at the vampire party. "I meant to ask you about that…"

"OH yea, that completely slipped my mind!"

"You don't seem like the get-dressed-up-like-Edward type…"

"You don't seem like the chase-after-Edward type, but you were there too!" He returned her teasing.

"True, but I was there supporting my girlfriends… and trying to keep the creeps away!"

"I am no creep, just bored!" Liam found himself, once again, genuinally enjoying her company. The feel of her soft hands on his was not only soothing, but the spark of their touch seemed to be a tangible force. Without thinking, his eyes cut down to their hands so casually laying in one anothers. As if she didn't realize how long they'd been holding hands, Emily tensed and pulled her hands away, tucking her hair behind her ears then resting both hands in her lap. "What else was there to do…"

"But the fangs?" Emily laughed again, "you were kind of into it."

Liam regretting giving any notice to their hand holding, "Maybe… but who wouldn't want to be a vampire and get the girl, ya know?"

They shared a long stare, each trying to read the others thoughts – curious to the ideas and fantasies that played out behind their eyes.

"You could get the girl…" Emily offered, speaking so much in only five small words.

Liam wanted her, more at that moment than ever before. She was right, he could have the girl. What was stopping him? Some unnatural allegiance? There was no reason why he shouldn't take her in his arms at that moment, confess his feelings to her, feel her heart beating against his chest and her soft skin beneath his fingers.

"Grande black coffee, Richard!"

His name was like a splash of below-freezing water. They both tensed, turning their gaze to the small crowd, searching for Richard's familiar face. After a moment, a young man, probably a Yale student, made his way to the counter to get the coffee.

"Different Richard." Liam sighed, suddenly aware of the guilt pulsating through his nerves.

Emily sighed, returning her eyes to Liam, but with a completely different expression – no longer was her face full of happiness and eyes calling to Liam. "Different Richard, same affect."

"we can't keep doing this…" The truth escaped his lips, simple and bold, with the weight of an anvil.

"I agree…" Emily took a drink of her coffee, swallowing hard. "I'll break up with him tonight."

Liam's heart lifted to the heavens; she loved him too. In only a short span of time, their connection was obvious to her, she knew that there was more to their relationship. He could not stop the smile that came upon his face, could not keep his hand from moving to her cheek, his thumb from softly grazing her lips. Her voice was quite, eyes lightly closed and leaning into his touch, "Will you take me home?"

Three miles. That's all it took to shift their moods. When they got in his car, Liam and Emily were burning with desire for one another. His hand rested on her thigh, her fingers lightly grazing the back of his neck. With each passing moment, what had felt incredibly right was quickly turning into something so wrong that it left a heaviness on their chests. By the time Liam pulled into a parking spot at the Student Living Building, they were no longer touching – both staring blankly out of the windshield into the dark, rainy night.

"Emily, I…"

"I know, I know. You don't have to say it."

"Ending your relationship with Richard is not going to make this any less of a betrayal – not for me."

"Then what can I do? I want to be with you." Emily turned towards him, her green eyes sparkling with tears. "I'm sorry I met him before you, I'm sorry that I had no idea how much I'd feel for you, I'm sorry that I've put you in this situation!"

Liam pushed her auburn hair from her face, "Please don't blame yourself… this is not your fault. It's just, well it's just a bad situation. It's circumstance."

After a moment of silence, she asked "So what are we supposed to do?"

Liam considered telling her to break up with Richard. But the possibility of that angering him to the point of indulging in Ezio's plan was far too great. "Let's just ride this out…"  
Emily sighed in exasperation, unhappy with his response. "No really. Let's just see where you're relationship goes… it may fall apart on its own. Then, who knows… maybe it will be easier for us to," Liam wasn't sure how to put it… there were so many things he wanted from her, for her, to do to her and with her. "…to be together."

"This is ridiculous," Emily laughed sarcastically, "I'll just end things with him tonight. We'll give it a couple of weeks before we let anyone know about us being together."

"You don't understand, Emily" His accent purred in her ears. "He's nearly like my father… I cannot steal you away and be the reason for his heartbreak. I'll never forgive myself."

"I'm not his to steal."

"In Europe, you're as much his as the breath in your lungs belongs to you." Liam tried to make her understand - Though it was less of a European thing, and more a vampire-trait.

She sat quietly for a moment, not comfortable with the idea of being anyone's possession. Not happy with the decision at hand, but seeing no other option. If she were to be with Liam, she'd have to follow his plan. "So we're friends, until…"

"Yes, we're friends, until."

October passed rather quickly, the crisp fall winds seemed to cast away any signs of pending danger from Ezio. As the golden Elm leaves fell from their branches, the relationships between Liam and Emily, and Liam and Richard, seemed to fall into place. Liam learned to enjoy the time he spent with the two of them, noting that it was better to be with Emily as friends than to not be able to interact with her at all. Richard, all too thrilled by how well Liam and Emily got along, took pleasure in having the man who was nearly his son, and Emily, who meant so much to him, over for late night dinners. Though Emily was but a child compared to the two vampires, she'd long since proved to be more than able to keep up with them during their conversations, even getting in a couple heated, yet lighthearted, debates with Liam that gave Richard a sense of pride in them both.

However, what Richard could not see told much more of a story than he could've imagined. Lingering looks, shy smiles, and gentle touches. Once, even a stolen kiss while passing in the hallway of Richard's apartment. Liam and Emily were on their best behavior while in front of others, Richard especially, but when they found themselves alone – if only for a moment – keeping themselves from one another became unbearable and their urges for even the lightest touch would victor over their willful decision of being friends, neutral and honorable friends. Emily's roommates assumed that the endless phone calls and numerous texting was shared with Richard – but in reality, Richard hadn't seemed to notice that he and Emily hardly spoke privately more than a few minutes each day. Emily's mind, heart, and soul had become completely captured by Liam.

"I have a favor to ask of you, Liam" Richard gently swirled the tumbler full of blood, sipping before continuing. "Emily's sister is marrying during our Thanksgiving break, and her family is pressuring her to bring home her boyfriend." Liam twinged at the thought of Richard being able to enter Emily's close family circle, bonding with them in a way that an outsider never could. He hopped that the thick smoke of Richard's cigars covered his instant expression of anger. "After some discussion, Emily and I have decided that this is not the time to introduce our May-December relationship to her family. It would take away from the bride, as Emily put it."

Liam could hear the unhappiness in Richard's tone, even though he was disguising it the best he could. After 300 years with someone, you learn to read them like a book. "Ok."

"Well, in order to quiet the hounds, she needs to bring someone home to meet the family…" He took a long swig before continuing. "And we both think that you'd be the best fill in."

"You want me to go, as you?"

"No no," Richard sighed, "be you. Apparently, they don't know much about me at all."

Liam was elated, but felt sorrow for his friend. "She's told me about her family a bit, Richard. I'm sure it would be fine if you went. I mean, it might be surprising for a moment that you're…" Liam chuckled a bit, "How old does she think you are?"

"Forty-seven." His words sounded as if he'd just been punched in the gut.

"So, twenty six years older…" Liam cleared his throat, knowing he was lying. "I'm sure they'd get over the age difference quickly and be able to see all that Emily sees in you."

Richard stood, straightening his camel-brown slacks, then heading back to the bar to mix some brandy into the remaining bit of blood in the tumbler. "I've already tried to argue my case, but Emily is quite concerned that we'd make a mockery of the wedding. A mockery!"

They were both quiet for a moment, Richard replaying the mid-grade argument he'd had with Emily regarding their place in her family should their relationship progress, while Liam daydreamed about how wonderful such a trip could be. "I can't Richard, I see how upsetting this is for you."

"Well, it would be a lot easier if I could just tell Emily that she can suffice her family because her 22 year old Yale professor boyfriend is coming along for the trip. At least that way we can move past this silly discussion and be done with it… at least for a while, that is." Richard could see that Liam was about to disagree, cutting him off before words could come from his mouth. "I don't ask much of you, Liam."

He had a point, asking favors was not something that Richard took lightly. Liam thought for a moment, deciding this was only the second favor Richard had ever asked of him – oddly enough, they both involved Gianna.

Richard continued, still standing at the wet bar. "Marissa, will she be a problem?"Liam's furrowed brow told Richard that he was unsure what he meant. "Have you two split up, then?" Taking down the last of his drink in a quick throw back.

"Oh no," Liam had forgot that Emily had once told Richard that Liam was seeing her roommate, and that's how they'd originally met. "I mean, we weren't ever that serious. Just going out every now and then."

"Then she is not Gianna, I take it?"

"No, she's not." Liam stood, all the lies beginning to choke him.

"Then she should not be a problem then?" Liam nodded, looking for a good way to leave the study, needing a moment to himself. "Then it's settled, I'll let Emily know and I'll purchase your tickets this evening."

"Mid term papers are due, in my email inbox, by midnight on Friday," Liam spoke as he wrote on the white board, "testing will be your first day of class back from break." Turning on his heel, eyes naturally landing on Emily's pleasant face looking back at him with an otherwise unnoticeable smile. "Any questions?"

"What do you mean first day back for class?" Someone spoke up from amongst the crowd. "All tests are on Monday after Thanksgiving?"

"I mean that if you're a Tuesday/Thursday student, your test will be Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Grades will be posted on the door Thursday though we won't be having class."

The last week before Thanksgiving break was exciting enough, but the delight seemed to rise from the group of students with the mere mention of no class. Over two months in and Liam had not missed a class, nor let the class out early since that first day. After a few more seconds of a question-less class, he dismissed them just as the clock closed their classroom hour. Emily grabbed her text and notebook and made her way down to his desk.

"Has anyone told you that this is the best class on campus?" She asked with a sigh, setting her backpack on his desk and packing her things.

"You just have a crush on the professor." Liam teased in return, facing her while leaning against the desk, so close that his thigh was touching hers.

Emily laughed, but didn't deny that a large part of her perfect attendance had to do with being able to watch Liam teach, listen to his voice carry throughout the class, see the way his muscular body moved with each motion. "Are you hungry? Even though we've still got a couple days left before break, the food courts holiday hours are already in place, so if we're gonna eat there we'd better go"

He was beginning to get hungry, but nothing served in the cafeteria would quench his thirst. He'd need to go hunting before his next class. "I've got to run off campus for a bit, get some luggage… got a big trip in a few days – My girlfriends sister is getting married."

Emily cut her eyes towards him, excitement visible in the emerald green. "He asked you?"

"Would've been nice to know that was coming…"

"Sorry, I didn't want you to have to pretend like you had no idea, ya know." She smiled, zipping up the backpack and slipping it over her shoulder. "How'd he seem?"

"Kind of saddened about the whole thing, but I think he understood the predicament you are in." Liam inhaled her scent, but the smell of her blood took over and he had to quickly look away from her to keep his control.

"I promise, it'll be innocent. I just thought it would be nice to be pretend to be just a little bit more than friends for while." She placed her hand on his chest, his hard body beneath her fingers only made her promise of friendship even harder to keep. "My parents won't even let Leslie and her boyfriend sleep in the same room and they've been dating for nearly two years. So I don't think we're going to find ourselves in any questionable situations."

Liam could tell by the way she said 'questionable situations' that Richard must have used that term during their argument.

"Not even one or two?" Liam teased, hungry for her in more ways than one.

Emily backed up playfully, "You be good."

"Ahhh! What you do to me, Emily _!" He raised his arms above his head dramatically.

Just before she walked out of the door, Emily turned to him and added with a sly smile, "You have no idea what I could do to you."

_What a beautiful couple _– his thoughts were silent, but if audible they would have carried the threatening hiss of a snake lurking closely to his unaware prey.

Time was passing quickly and his plans were falling in to place better than he could have imagined. Watching as Liam and Emily stood closely, their bodies touching each other, hearing how her heart quickened when she was near him… it was obvious. Emily loved Liam, not Richard.

_Oh how heartbroken and destroyed Richard will be once he learns of this treason._ Ending the long-overdue friendship between the two vampires was next on his to do list, as that type of bond would be just the kind to interfere. Thankfully, the flirty banter between Emil y and Liam was more than convincing – _it will be a miracle if one of them doesn't kill the other over this girl. _

Having seen enough, he went back to his car, laughing at the pleasure of such a scenario.

Awkward, out of place… something didn't feel right. So many nights Liam had spent in Richard's presence, yet tonight the feeling that something was wrong was quite thick, laying across the room like a heavy blanket. He'd come over at Richard's request, nothing unusual about sharing a night cap with his friend, but they'd hardly spoken a word in the nearly half hour that they'd been sitting across from one another – each sipping a glass of Richards brandy & blood mix. Even eye contact was scarce.

Liam considered bringing up his early morning flight with Emily, using it as an out in order to get back to his apartment across town, but thought better of it since that could very well be the unspoken issue causing such a divide between them. The phrase 'questionable situation' tumbled through his thoughts.

"Have you graded the mid-term papers, yet?" Bolder with alcohol, Richard words crashed through the silence like thunder.

"No, not quite" He croaked in return, throat tight from lack of use. "Deadline was yesterday at midnight. Figure I'll spend a lot of my time this week grading papers."

Richard's brow furrowed, "Liam, I can trust you, can't I?" If Liam's heart had been beating, it would have skipped in its rhythm. "That's a silly question, I know I can." Standing to return to the bar for a refill, Richard loomed over the sitting Liam. "You'll have to forgive me, my friend. I'm in a bad place right now…"

Before Liam could question any further, a quite knock followed by the smell of lemon and vanilla broke up their conversation.

"Hey there, anyone home?" Emily called, her voice chiming. Once again, Liam wondered if Richard could hear the crystal tone.

Liam caught the tale-end of an irritated expression on Richard's face, just before it was replaced by his usual, pleasant & welcoming smile. "Yes, Darling. We are in the study."

A moment later, the room brightened by Emily's presence. She wore a pair of short khaki shorts and a white and gold tank top – an outfit far too summery for the late November weather - Auburn hair hanging down her back in spiral curls. "You look stunning my dear, where are you off to?" Richard asked, greeting her with an almost fatherly kiss on the cheek.

"Some ridiculous party in West End." Emily gave a quick glance at Liam, still on the couch. "Hello" she smiled, then turned back to Richard, speaking quietly, she added "I hoped that we could talk… do you have a moment?"

Liam suddenly felt as if he were the one out of place in Richard's den, not the human girl with the angelic voice. Realizing that he was witnessing the end of what must have been a heated argument between Richard and Emily, he stood to excuse himself.

"Liam, please stay." Richard said politely

"No no, don't let me get in the way. I'll just step out for a moment. Make a couple of phone calls."

"I bought you some clothes for your trip… can't have you walking around in black and grey all week." Richard chuckled. "They're hanging in the extra bedroom closet. Why don't you make sure they fit?"

Liam rolled his eyes in amusement and then headed into the extra bedroom. He moved quietly, closing the bedroom door behind him, then moving to the closet with light steps, unsure if his silence was in order to keep from disrupting Emily and Richard, or to have a better chance at eavesdropping on their conversation. The closet held four button-up Jos A. Bank shirts, two blue and two white. Richard had a point, the majority of Liam's wardrobe was in the black and gray range; dark blue being his idea of adding color to his clothes. Richard had always been the type to appreciate fine fabrics and colors. The seventies were some of his favorite years as he could wear fabulous suits of outrageous colors and yet fit in with the high class society without any trouble.

He tossed his black jacket on the bed, then pulled the gray tee shirt over his head, the motion wafting the scent of cedar & blood into his nostrils. The smell was a pleasurable surprise, causing his eyes to close, his head to tilt back slightly, and his fangs to protrude through his gums, relaxing his tense body the way a fine wine would for a human. Trying to live solely off of animal blood as some sort of an unspoken commitment to Emily, it had been well over a month since he'd indulged in human blood and his body was suddenly overwhelmed with the craving. No longer concerned about his silence, he quickly opened the cedar chest and drained a bag of the donor blood, followed by a second, and a third. His veins were alive with the sensation that only human blood could bring, each nerve dancing with delight as the fluid spread throughout him. Just as he grasped the warm plastic bag in his hand to start a fourth, Richard's voice caught him by surprise. He was speaking very loudly, almost yelling, in an angry tone. Liam concentrated on the sound, picking up Emily's response using his enhanced hearing trait – "You have no right to say that to me, Richard. I am not a child and will decide what I will or will NOT do."

"We've been seeing one another for nearly a year! A YEAR! If you're not a child then what's the hold up? Someone else?"

"I can guarantee you this," Emily voice was a bit louder, "If there is someone else, you'll be the first to know. I'm not the kind to sneak around, so if you're really concerned that I'm cheating, I suggest you brace yourself for when the time comes that I let you in on it!"

Richard growled, not quite loud enough for the human ear to pick up, but Liam caught it and considered breaking up their 'discussion' for fear of Richard losing his temper. "That would be awfully polite of you, Emily – letting me know before that chastity belt comes off." Liam could hear Richard coming down the hall, "I'm heading out for a bit." He added, just before the front door slammed.

_Chastity belt?_ Liam wondered why Richard seemed to be pressuring Emily. Sex fell from the top spot to somewhere around third once you've become a vampire, preceded by human blood and hunting. In most cases, it was a means to end – a way of hunting in order to get to the human blood. Then again, with Emily, he'd felt urges that he could not explain. Urges that felt much closer to sexual than hunger… maybe Richard was experiencing the same. The thought of Richard craving her body in such a way made Liam's stomach turn and he decided against a fourth bag of blood – resting his body weight against his arms, propped against the closet door frame.

"Well, that was bad." Emily sighed, opening the door to find Liam shirtless and looking in the closet, lost in his own thoughts. "Oh gosh sorry!" She closed the door slightly, but her eyes were captured by the familiar scene in front of her. The long, sculpted arms outstretched to each side, lean & muscular tattoo-covered back highlighted by the dimmed lighting – even the long scar down the right side of his rib cage. Liam had quickly grabbed one of the shirts hanging in the closet and fastened two of the buttons, but the image was burned inside of her brain.

"That's quite a tattoo…" Emily felt herself begin to want him again, never had she wanted anyone like she yearned for Liam. Something about that image was like a déjà vu aphrodisiac. She'd never considered herself to be one to like the 'bad boy' image, but seeing a tattoo like that on Liam, so intelligent & sophisticated, was such a surprise that it was a huge turn on.

Liam gave a light laugh, "Tell me about it." Turning to face her after taking his time buttoning the shirt in order to calm himself and allow his eyes and fangs to return to normal, he added "Everything okay in there?" as she took a seat on the edge of the crimson bedding.

"I don't know. I feel like he's either truly suspicious of," Not sure if she should say 'me' or 'us", she paused, then skipped finishing the sentence all together, "Or if he's just using that as a tactic to get me to sleep with him."

He could see the confusion and sadness in her eyes. No matter how she felt about Liam, she cared deeply for Richard. "Why don't you go on to that party, just get your mind off of all of that."

Considering his suggestions, she sat quietly for a moment "Maybe…"

"I'll be over to pick you up at 9, then we're off to Seattle!" Liam tried to sound excited, but the fresh blood in his body caused those sexual urges that she made him feel rise to the top of his sensory. She shook her head in agreement, then looked up at him with a smile.

"Hope I can get through security with my chastity belt."

After Emily left, Liam polished off three more donor bags while waiting on Richard to return in an attempt to wash his body of the image of Emily's long, polished legs. He sat in the floor of the extra bedroom with his back against the cedar chest trying to convince himself that he'd been careful not to betray Richard. Telling himself that the flirting that went on with Emily was innocent, and yes, they had kissed a few times, but it was always as a means to squash other, much more powerful urges that, should they ever act on them, would cause much more hurt to Richard than a kiss every now and then.  
A little more than an hour later, Richard returned and seemed to be completely refreshed.

_Must have drank something fresh, or someone fresh. _Liam thought with a smile.

"So was she terribly upset with me?" Richard asked, popping his head into the extra bedroom. Liam shrugged, not interested in getting in the middle of any argument between two people in a relationship, especially not these two people. "I was quite an ass." He laughed.

"You said it." Liam joking raised his hands, as if to say he'd not been a part of it in any way.

"Yes, yes I sure did." He continued to laugh, but through his tanned, squinted eyelids, Liam picked up the slightest hint of a pinkish hue covering the whites of his eyes.

"Where've you been?" Liam stood, suddenly feeling a bit defenseless while on the floor.

"Had myself a drink… as I see you've done the same" Richard gestured to the numerous empty bags on floor.

Feeling braver now that he was bursting at the seams with human blood, Liam asked bluntly, "Were you with Ezio?"

Richard stepped into the room, "Why would you ask? I haven't seen Ezio in a few weeks…"

Liam could almost feel the lie slip into his ears. He realized that in that moment, was the first time Richard had ever lied to him. The pinkish hue in the whites of his eyes told more than any words could have, but lying about Ezio provided all of the information Liam needed – Richard was no longer an ally.

The morning started off at an unfriendly pace. Liam had barely slept, either from his overfull stomach, the sickening ache resulting from Richard's duplicity, or sheer nerves building with each minute about meeting Emily's entire family. When he finally did manage a few minutes of slumber, he slept right through his alarm clock and was late leaving to pick up Emily. As he got in his car, he received a text message from her letting him know that she too was running late. The drive, usually less than 10 minutes, took twice that due to some sort of construction.

They had 45 minutes to board their plane once they finally found a parking spot at the airport, and with dragging their luggage, moving through security, and finding their gate, they'd hadn't had moment to speak. Liam figured he must have looked terrible, having only enough time to toss on a white t-shirt, dark blue Aeropostle hoodie, dark jeans and his boots, and brush his teeth. Thankfully, the just-out-of-bed look seemed to work for him, but he'd have to change before he met Emily's family. Emily, however, looked like she fell off of a magazine cover – wearing a mid thigh length knitted azul blue belted sweater with a white tank & khaki colored wide-legged pants over a pair of flip flops – hot pink polished toes peeking out from the fabric of the pant legs – and her hair pinned into a perfectly messy ponytail, still curlier than usual from the night before.

"oh leave that down here," Emily smiled, reaching for her backpack that Liam was trying to stuff into the overhead, "I have to study!"

"You? You're the smartest student Yale has." Liam reassured before placing the heavy backpack between her feet.

The plane was packed with holiday travelers, but Richard shelled out for first-class tickets so they had two seats of their own. Emily took the window seat, while Liam preferred the isle. Finally able to chat, they were oddly quiet for a bit. Liam thumbed through the music on his touch screen phone while Emily starred out of the small window as the plane ascended through the gray, looming clouds of a coming storm.

"I think it may rain on Saturday." Emily stated. "The day of Leslie's wedding… that's a bad omen, ya know."

"Actually, the roman's belie" He stopped himself with a laugh, "Wow, I've really got to stop this teaching stuff!"

Emily giggled a bit, "I love hearing you talk, I mean teach" She smiled shyly, "The roman's believe what?"

Looking at her glossy lips curved into such a beautiful smile, Liam melted "The roman's believed that rain on the wedding day was a sign of many children to come… kind of like rain on a farmer's field."

"Lots of kids huh?" Emily turned her body towards him a bit, "Guess that could be a bad thing for some…" The way she phrased it was almost like a question.

"Not for me… I would love to have a big family some day." Liam smiled, he could see in the sparkle of her grass green eyes that his answer was a perfect match to her own. The fact that children from a vampire was impossible sat heavily on Liam's chest for a moment. "I've got to change before I meet your family." He sighed, tugging at the hoodie, in an effort to change the subject.

"This is going to be so strange…" Emily fell back into her seat, frustraited. "I wouldn't worry about how you're dressed, you pretty much fit the bill… I've basically lied to them from day one about Richard." Liam raised his eyebrows, a bit surprised that she'd lie, but also relieved that he wouldn't have to pretend to be Richard. "I did say that he was older, just now by how much, and that he was foreign, but not where he was from…"

Liam laughed, interrupting, "That's a huge weight off my shoulders! I'd been worried that I'd have to speak in a French accent."

His joke seemed to lighten her mood again, "All they know is that you teach at Yale and that's why I've been so secretive. Other than that, they probably aren't expecting anything specific. Though I spoke with Leslie last night and did mention how hot _you_ are."

He almost felt his face blush, yet another trait that vampires simply did not have.

"She may not be too keen on your assessment when she sees the slob you've brought home." He joked, wishing he could touch her, hold her hand, anything.

"That was a rough start, wasn't it?" Emily laughed

"I don't think I slept more than an hour last night… nervous I guess."

Placing her hand on top of his and gently squeezing, Emily smiled, "They're going to love you as much as I do."

Without hesitation, her words were like a force field bringing their lips together ever so softly, slowly exploring one another's mouths. Liam's hand found her face, and the pace of their kissing quickened. It was as if they were completely alone in the world, wrapped in one another – finally free to allow their want for each other to progress.

"Excuse me." A young, Asian flight attendant with a scowl upon her face was leaning into their small section of personal space. "Is there something that I could get you? Either of you need a drink from the bar? To cool off, maybe?" Her smile was full of distaste for their rather extensive, yet unplanned, show of affection.

"oh no, so sorry about that." Emily giggled from embarrassment. The flight attendant smiled that smile again, then left them in awkward silence.

After a moment or two, listening to carrying sounds of a child crying from the coach section, Emily sighed. "I really need to study…" she took hold of the top handle of her book bag, adding "why don't you try to get some rest?"

Liam agreed, and within in minutes he was asleep - dreamless and deeply resting to the quiet hum of the roaring jet engines. Quietly, as not to disrupt Liam, Emily ordered a bottle of cola and began to read over the chapters covered in Liam's class. It didn't take long for her mind to begin to run away with itself, while her eyes traced the shape of Liam's relaxed mouth and the curve of his long, dark eye lashes. Attempting to study again, she dug into her backpack for her spiral notebook, hoping that reviewing her notes would be an easier task than trying to read over the drab textbook. As soon as her fingers grasp the notebook, the wrinkled cover beneath her fingertips., she knew that it was not her notebook.It took only a second or two for Emily to realize why she recognized the worn, black-covered notebook with the faded & cracked cover showing that it had been folded in half many times over - It was Liam's notebook. The same book that she'd seen him writing in numerous times over the 3 months that they'd known each other. Thinking back, she realized that she must have grabbed it after class on Thursday when they were discussing their trip at Liam's desk.

Her conscience commanded her to put the notebook back in to her bag and give it to Liam the instant he awoke, but a more mischievous side of her, one that rarely showed itself, tugged at her sense of right and wrong - dying to know what, if anything, he'd wrote about her, about the times they've spent together. After a lengthy internal struggle, Emily glanced at Liam once more, making sure he was still asleep - looking for any sign that he may be waking. Satisfied by his stillness, Emily opened the notebook, randomly choosing a page near the middle, and began to read.

_Oct 29 - I'm not sure how much longer I can pretend. Every time I look at Emily I have to fight myself not to smile with pure joy that I am even in her presence. How would that look to Richard, or even the others in class? It's worse when Richard invites us over, his two companions - one his lover, the other his dearest friend… with alcohol flowing and the dark of night creating such an enclosure of comfort, the only thing I can think of is taking her in my arms. Kissing her lips. Feeling that soft, ember hair in my hands as we make love… God forgive me for my betrayal of the mind. I want her._

The smile upon Emily's face was wide, filling her entire face - thrilled to know that her desire for Liam was not one-sided. Knowing that Liam was thinking of her that way, imagining them making love, it only added fuel to the fire that had burned for Liam since the moment they'd met.

_Nov 4 - We had lunch together today (with Marissa, unfortunately) - I cannot explain how I find such enjoyment just listening to her speak. Her sister is getting married and Emily is thrilled, cannot wait to go to the wedding. I can't help but wish that I was able to accompany her to it. Of all things in this world, its obvious to see that Emily cares the most for her family, her voice rings with the sound of love when she speaks of them or recalls memories from her childhood. But, this is yet another sacrifice I'll have to make in order to keep my loyalty to Richard._ _I know she loves him, but it's tearing me apart to keep my love for her under wraps. Just thinking about Richard being invited into such an intimate family gather such as this makes me want to rip him apart… makes me want to drink until I can hold no more. Speaking of, Marissa nearly begged me to take her home after lunch. I wanted to, God did I ever want to. Emily left for class with plans to meet Richard for dinner, leaving Marissa and I, and the scent of her warm liquid rushing through her veins. The thought of him touching her, worse - of her enjoying it, how I wanted to tear into Marissa's jugular…_

Emily stopped reading, trying to catch her breath. What in the world was this? What was he talking about? Ripping Richard apart, tearing into Marissa's jugular? Quickly, Emily turned further back in the book.

_June 1 - Another vampire party… incredible how many young girls are dying to hand themselves over, looking for some kind of storybook love story and a sparkles-in-the-sunlight vampire. Ridiculous. But, that's fine, I can offer them whatever they like so long as my fangs get to sink into their neck before nights end._

_April 17 - Richard called me, checking to make sure that the recent deaths in Raleigh weren't actually some terrible cover up of mine. I laughed so hard… come on, I'm a lot better than I was back in the 1800's!_

_Mar 29 - SO SICK OF ANIMAL BLOOD. Being new in Raleigh only means that it's harder to come by human blood so Ive been drinking from deer and rabbits. After all of these years, I still cannot figure out why human blood burns into my body like a thick, sweet molasses, but animal blood is thin and shallow, quickly leading to an empty stomach and rising cravings._

_Dec 31 - My Dearest Gianna, here is hoping to a successful year. Who knows, maybe the 312 year is a charm? I miss you every minute, with ever fiber of my body. I must confess to you, I slept with a woman tonight. She's asleep now, recovering from the blood loss…. Something about sex that makes my craving almost uncontrollable… she's lucky that she's still breathing at all, I imagine._


End file.
